Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)

Buddy Hoagies is a restaurant cafe specialising in western cuisine. I did not call it a restaurant became it has a friendly and relaxed ambience which is child friendly too. Moreover, the photo frames of English oldies singers and environment gave a unique warm comfort country feel. I visited Buddy Hoagies on a weekday evening for dinner at Yishun. They have two other outlets at Bukit Timah and Downtown East.

During my visit, I noticed that there were quite a number of children in the cafe. After walking around, I knew the reasons. Buddy Hoagies was a children friendly cafe! They had plastic utensils (spoon, forks, plates) for kids (not those disposable ones) and a corner filled toys for children to play. Some children even brought the toys to their tables where they could play while waiting for the food to be served. Not bad, I did not notice any children playing with ipad or any mobile devices! 

There was an option to upgrade the main course to a Buddy's Set Meal for $4.50 which would include soup & garlic toast, coffee/tea/ ice tea and ice cream.

We ordered a Fish and Chips and upgraded it to a Set Meal ($13.40), followed by a Western BBQ Chicken ($8.90) and Cheese Fries ($3.50). 

Tea

Cream of Mushroom & Garlic Toast

The Cream of Mushroom was average. It was too thick for my liking while the Garlic Toast was a tad too hard. 

Cheese Fries $3.50

The Cheese Fries $3.50 tasted quite good when it was still warm. When it cooled down, the cheese became hard and the fries at the bottom were soggy. 

Fish and Chips

The Fish and Chips $8.90 served with fries fared better. Though they could be more generous with their servings, both items were not overly oily. In addition, the fish was slight moist in the interior (not hard and dry). In fact, I like this fries better compared to the cheese fries. 

Western BBQ Chicken $8.90

The Western BBQ Chicken $8.90 was essentially grilled chicken in barbecue sauce with vegetables and baked potato. Initially, I thought that the portion was very little. But come to think of it, for the ambience and price, I really should not fault it too much as the operating cost of the F&B industry have gone up.

The chicken was nicely grilled and the interior was juicy and tender. There was a slight hint of smoky flavour. If the smoky flavour could be intensified, this would have been wonderful. There was a big chunk of butter in the baked potato. Needless to say, I took out most of the butter before they had the opportunity to melt. This main course was not bad and quite value for money. 

Ice Cream

The vanilla ice cream was well, simple and ordinary.

There were hits and misses at Buddy Hoagies. But generally, their main course seemed to fared better. They did quite well in creating a warm cozy ambience with a children friendly environment.

Buddy Hoagies at Nee Soon South Community Club (Yishun)
Nee Soon South Community Club
30 Yishun Street 81
Singapore 768455
Tel: 6752 8722
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
Website

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Strangers' Reunion at Kampong Bahru Road (Outram)

Strangers' Reunion is a cafe located at Kampong Bahru Road, opposite Singapore General Hospital. There has been alot of hype about this cafe online as it was opened by Singapore National Barista Championship winner Ryan Tan.

When we arrived at around 1145 am on a weekday, the brightly lite cafe was already filled to the brim. We had to share a table with another group - strangers (the name of the cafe =P). The cafe was not what I imagined it to be; cozy, quiet.

Instead, it was crowded, noisy and squeezy especially if you are seated at the row of table with sofa and cushion (right part of above photo). Those who were seated there had to move their tables to allow their friends to access the sofa area and also for their friends to leave.

Menu (a)

Menu (b)

The menu.

Left to right: Cafe Mocha $5.50 and Cappuccino $4.90

My partner ordered a Cafe Mocha $5.50 while I ordered a Cappuccino $4.90. Both beverages were disappointing. The Cappuccino (which i ordered) was too milky and the distinct richness and taste of espresso was missing.

Truffle Fries $12.90

The Truffles Fries $12.90 came with grated truffle, truffled aioli and parmesan. It was a pity consistency was lacking (some fries were hard while some were soggy), if not this would have been a great side dish.

Buttermilk Waffles with Artisan Greek Yogurt & Fresh Fruits $12.90

Since we had heard so much about the buttermilk waffles, we had to order one to try for ourselves. We ordered the Buttermilk Waffles with Artisan Greek Yogurt & Fresh Fruits $12.90. So beautiful and enticing in appearance! However, the thick, fluffy waffle did not match up to our expectations as it lacked flavour and fragrance. 

Needless to say, I was not impressed with the food and drinks we had at Strangers' Reunion. I do not understand the hype. As we left, we noticed that there was a long queue outside, waiting for their turn fora table in the cafe (on a weekday)!! There must be something worth going back for, I wonder what was it. Well, everyone has differing taste; as the saying goes one man's poison is another man's meat. 

Strangers' Reunion at Kampong Bahru Road (Outram)

33/35/37 Kampong Bahru Road (shop-house along the road, opposite Singapore General Hospital)

Singapore 169355

Tel: 6222 4869

Opening Hours: Wed to Mon 9am to 10pm

                          Closed on Tue

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A&W Restaurant at Pantip Plaza (Thailand, Bangkok)

I know how some Singaporeans would make it a point to visit A&W whenever they are in Bangkok, Batam or Kuala Lumpur. I am no exception. Here's the good news for A&W fanatics who need their A&W fix. There are several A&W restaurants in Bangkok and one of the restaurant is located 5 minutes walk away from Platinum Fashion Mall!

This A&W restaurant is located at Level 1 of Pantip Plaza (also known as The Computer City). All you have to do is walk out of Platinum Mall and then walk along the main road; Petchaburi Road (follow the flow of the traffic). There is no need to cross the main road. Instead you would just need to cross 3 small alley roads and you would have reached Pantip Plaza. You would be able to spot the A&W signage once you are outside the plaza. 

As this was for our tea break, we ordered the Super Waffle Combo Set 135 Baht (S$5.62) which consisted of a Root Beer Float (which we up-sized), Curly Fries (Small) and Super Waffle (Chocolate). In addition, we also ordered another Curly Fries (large) 55 Baht (S$2.29) and Half Waffle (Strawberry) 55 Baht (S$2.29). We did not order any fried chicken as we were just too full.

Root Beer Float

You may wish to note know that it has been sometime since the writer had A&W. So this post is definitely biased. =P

The signature A&W's Root Beer Float which most of us are familiar with is served in a A&W mug with a scoop of vanilla ice cream added into the Root Beer. Just like how I always remember it (when A&W still existed in Ang Mo Kio), there was a layer of foam on top. Shiok!

Curly Fries

Another favourite of mine is the Curly Fries! It is me? But it's not as curly as before. Nevertheless, this tasted so good (kfc new solgan)! I have not had this for a long long time.

Half Waffle (Strawberry)

Super Waffle (Chocolate)

Waffle with ice cream, another A&W signature dish! The waffles whether Super Waffle or Half Waffle are both served with 2 scoops of ice cream! The waffle was great as it was freshly made and was crispy on the outside. The warm and cold combination of waffle and ice cream was a perfect combination that's hard to go wrong (even with ordinary ice cream)! Maple syrup are available too for those who wish to enhance the taste further.

Glad to have my A&W craving satisfied! I wonder when will A&W make a come back to Singapore. 

A&W Restaurant at Pantip Plaza (Thailand, Bangkok)

Level 1 Pantip Plaza, The Computer City

604/3 Petchaburi Rd, Thanon Phetchaburi

Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Tel: 02-250-1190

Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 9pm
Website (other outlet locations)

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Skyve Wine Bistro (Newton)

Skyve Wine Bistro previous known as Skyve Elementary Bistro serves modern European cuisine, using sous vide in most of its cooking. Whether it is cooking of meat (poulet, lamb, beef, pork or duck) or vegetables, sous vide is used. Sous vide is a cooking technique in which food is cooked in airtight plastic bag in a water bath. The water path is kept at a constant temperature, normally lower than what is required for cooking. Normally, the food needs to be cooked in the water bath for a longer period of time, sometimes as long as 72 hours. This cooking technique ensures that the food are cooked evenly, the nutrients are not lost and resulting in a juicer end product, retaining the natural flavours. 

Skyve Wine Bistro located at Winstedt Road in the old Monks Hill Secondary School compound is 10 minutes walk from Newton MRT station.

The restaurant has an extensive list of more than 70 labels of wine in its wine cellar

Chivas, anyone?

Lounge section

The restaurant has both alfresco and indoor dining. For indoors dining, the restaurant is split into lounge section and a main dining section. The lounge section had retro style chairs, sofa and tables. An ideal place for chilling out in a causal and cozy setting. There will be a live band performing at this section every Wednesday and Friday night. As for the main dining area, that is where the proper chairs and tables are, for more formal occasions.

The Sleeping Oysters: Mentaiyaki, Chilean, Kilpatrick ($34 for half a dozen)

The meal started off with The Sleeping Oysters: Mentaiyaki, Chilean, Kilpatrick ($34 for half a dozen) and several appetisers. The Mentaiyaki Oyster with metaiko, ebiko, lemon juice and aioli. The Chilean Oyster with serrano, lime juice, red wine vinegar and cilantro (also known as coriander). The Kilpatrick Oyster with bacon, worchestershire and chives.

What I like about the oysters was that they were fresh, soft, plump and juicy. My favorite was the Japanese inspired Mentaiyaki Oyster. The British inspired Kilpatrick Oyster on the other hand was not my cup of tea. The hardness of the bacon did complement the soft oyster. In addition, the intense flavour of the ingredients used overwhelmed the other flavours.

Petuna and Ume Somen $20

The Petuna and Ume Somen $20, seared petuna with ebiko, mango, chilli, sesame yuzu dressing, cold somen and mesclun was very well executed. This appetiser could be easily mistaken as a main course. The petuna stole the show in this dish. I nearly when 'wow' as I ate this. Underneath the crisp top, the pentuna was incredibly succulent with its natural flavour fully retained in the flesh. It was very fresh with no fishy taste. The ebiko gave a nice crunch to the Ume Somen.

Skyve Beef Tartare $22

The Skyve Beef Tartare $22 was an interesting dish. The beef tartare (minced raw beef) was seared on the outside leaving the interior entirely raw. It was then served with truffle egg yolk and cilantro dust on top with flat bread, ancho chilli aioli and thyme sea salt at the side. Customers who ordered this dish would need to thoroughly mix the beef tartare with the truffle egg yolk and cilantro dust. It was like making mashed potato (if unsure, you can ask the staff to do this for you). After that, scoop some of it onto the flat bread and add the other sides in according to your preference. For those who do not like raw beef, you may still like this as it had a mixture of flavours; distinct truffle aroma along with a little spiciness and saltiness in one mouthful.

Truffle and Thyme Fries $12

Truffle and Thyme Fries $12 served with Truffle Oil, Thyme Salt and lots of shaved Granda Padano was quite good. The thick cut fries ensure that one could be able to get a good bite. In addition, each piece was infused with the aroma of truffle oil. I have a weakness for potatoes and could not stop myself reaching out for more!

Spicy Kalbi Beef Short Ribs $36

Among the main courses, Spicy Kalbi Beef Short Ribs $36 was the best seller in Skyve Wine Bistro.

Spicy Kalbi Beef Short Ribs $36

The beef short ribs was sous vide before being glazed with sweet, spicy kalbi. It was then served with sauteed brocollini (similar to broccoli), and crispy sweet potato and yam ribbons. The beef short ribs was not my personal favourite as the flavours were on the stronger end, overwhelming the meaty/natural flavour. My favourite part of this main course was the crispy sweet potato and yam ribbons which were incredibly addictive. You will not be able to stop at one.

Lamb Rack $40

As for the Lamb Rack $40, the lamb rack was grilled and served with radish, pumpkin and chargrilled tomato momotaro. This was my favourite as the lamb rack was well executed and its not often you can find one that is so well executed. The ratio of lean meat to fats were just right. In addition, the meat was soft and tender, and a little sweet and savoury.

Sous Vide Poulet $34

Sous Vide Poulet $34

The Sous Vide Poulet $34 glazed with apricot based sauce, and served with baby vegetables, candied pecans and pommes (potato) puree was also very well executed. The sous vide style resulted in smooth, folk tender and succulent flesh. Comfort food and a safe choice for most people.

Polenta Mushroom Stack $34

Polenta Mushroom Stack $34

The Polenta Mushroom Stack $34 is specially created for vegetarians. It consisted of grilled portobello with polenta cakes served with mushroom fricassee, seasonal vegetables and pesto. This was impressive both in terms of appearance and taste. It would be great if the polenta cake was less powdery and crumbly. One of the better vegetarian dish I have tried.

Inspired by Red $12

Inspired by Red $12 would be a favourite among ladies or those with sweet tooth. Beautifully created, it consisted of raspberry sorbet with strawberry parfait, sous vide strawberry in balsamic vinegar, flower tuile and dehydrated raspberry. With such a presentation, this would be a dessert to order if you would want to impress your other half on a special (romantic) occasion.

Snicker Bar $12

The Snicker Bar $12 consisted of salted caramel pudding, peanut butter, chocolate ganache and feuilletine layered cake with flambed bananas and vanilla gelato. It looked better than it tasted. This would be a dessert that you either love or hate. The flavours were just too heavy and intense for my liking. It would be better to share this among 2 to 3 persons.

Mango & Cheese Semifreddo $12

The Mango & Cheese Semifreddo $12 was my favourite dessert! Rippled frozen mousse with frozen lime foam on top and crunchy sablee cookie at the bottom. This dessert left a deep impression. It was light and well balanced in terms of taste. As for the texture, I really like how you can get to enjoy the different textures in 1 mouthful. The top was pillow soft and fluffy, the middle layer was slightly soft and semi solid while the bottom was crunchy and solid. A perfect way to end the meal!

Overall, I was most impressed with the meal. I could sense the thought and effort that has gone into each dish. The presentation of each dish was perfect. Each dish was so enticing as they looked bright, vibrant and colourful. Although the price was on the higher end, I can't fault that as the quality of the ingredients were top notch. In addition, most of the food retained their natural flavours and were very well executed. Personally, I think that Skyve Wine Bistro will be an ideal place for celebrating special occasions with your other half. Great ambiene and great food (in terms of both quality and taste).

I heard that the Asian Inspired Confit of Duck is a best seller. It will be on my to try list when I next visit.

Thank you Michelle and Celine for the invite and hosting FoodieFC.

ps: I just create Instagram less than 1 week ago. You can now follow FoodieFC on Instagram. Better late then never!

Skyve Wine Bistro (Newton)

Block E, #01-17

10 Winstedt Road

Singapore 227977

Tel: 6225 6690

Open Hours: Daily Mon to Sun 10am - 1am

                    (last order for food 10.30 pm)

Website

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Le Grill (France, Bussy Saint Georges)

Le Grill is one of the several chains of restaurants located in the pit stop / service station of the highways in France. We stopped over at Le Grill for lunch at one of the pit stop near Bussy-Saint-Georges while travelling along the A4 Autoroute aka autoroute de l'est from Paris to Nancy. The A4 Autoroute is a highway that is more than 482 km long and is also known as the Eastern Motorway.

It's concept is similar to our convenient stall (7-Eleven) with a cafeteria in it. The only difference is the size. It is so big. The section that is similar to our our local 7-eleven had such wide aisle. In addition, the cafeteria was spacious with lots of sitting capacity. It was a waste, I did not take photos of the interior as I was too hungry.

Potato Salad 4,90 € (S$7.68)

We ordered the Potato Salad from the Salad Bar. It was average. Looking back, this side dish is so pricey.

Assiette Jambon Cru 3,50 € (S$5.48)

Assiette Jambon Cru a french word means Ham in English. There were just three pieces of large ham that were thinly sliced.

Paella 8,90 € (S$13.95)

Paella a spanish dish consisted of saffron flavour rice cooked with meat and seafood. It was my first time trying the dish and I must say it was an eye opener. Overall, the dish was full of flavour and fragrant. Each grain of rice was well coated with immense saffron flavour and slightly moist. The more you dig into it, the more you would love it. If only more seafood (i.e. prawn) and chicken meat was given.

Steak Hache and Frites 7,50 € (S$11.75)

Steak Hache and Frites literally means Steak and Chips (Fries) to us. The term Steak Hache alone means a chop steak of quality and freshness. It is may be easier for us to think of it as a steak patty that is used in burger. But there are some differences. For example, the meat used is a prime steak meat that is minced and then formed into an oval shape without seasoning. It is then cooked with a little seasoning (salt and pepper) at the cooking stage. 

The Steak and Chips (Fries) was cooked upon order. Although I had to wait a fair bit for this dish, this was well worth the wait. The steak was delicious. As described above, the steak came in an oval-shape and there were little seasoning in the steak. One could easily taste the original flavour of the meat and it was so juicy. The fries were decent. Not cut too tiny and was not overly salty.

Le Grill is one of the many stop over restaurants located in the pit stop along the highway. We were not expecting fantastic food. Hence, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the mains at Le Grill. Generally, the food in Europe can be quite expensive, but in this case the mains were well worth the money. However, the sides were expensive. You would be better off not ordering the sides. 

Le Grill (France, Bussy Saint Georges)
Aire de Ferrières
77600 Bussy-Saint-Georges, France
Location

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The Naked Fish Shoppe (Yio Chu Kang)

I have recently purchase a Groupon deal that allows me to buy $30 worth of food from The Naked Fish Shoppe for just $15. I have been there several years ago and recall that the food was not bad. Hence, I purchased the voucher. If you are keen to find out more about this deal, you can click here. (but do note that the deal is over)

The Naked Fish Shoppe is a western style fish casual restaurant serving many types of fish cuisines cooked in different styles. Besides that, they also serve other type of western cuisines such as Oxtail Stew, chicken and steaks combos. This place is also halal certified!

The Naked Fish Shoppe is located right smack in the heartland at level 1 of The Grassroot's Club, 5 minutes away from the Yio Chu Kang MRT station. It is fairly easy to walk over from the station to the club. In addition, its a shelter walkway. 

Brightly lit with a fish theme, the walls were bright blue in colour. A cozy environment

The table although small was nicely decorated with real orchid. What a nice gesture. However, the chair was very uncomfortable especially if one was to lean back. 

We wanted to order the Austrailan Flounder and Australian Barramundi Fillet as this was after all a place that specialises in fish. However, both these fishes were not available that day. As such we had to change our orders to Baked Crayfish Thermidor & Fish, Mediterranean Seafood Platter (For One Person) and a bowl of New England Clam Chowder Soup.

Salad

The Mediterranean Seafood Platter was served with a bowl of salad. The vegetables and tomatoes were fresh. However, they were too generous with the sauce. 

New England Clam Chowder Soup $4

The New England Clam Chowder Soup was served with a piece of Garlic Bread. The Garlic Bread was cold and hard. 

New England Clam Chowder Soup $4

New England Clam Chowder Soup $4

The New England Clam Chowder Soup was not any better. It had a sour after-taste and certainly lack any flavour/essence of clam(s). There were no clams in the soup, only small pieces of potatoes and carrots. What a let down.

Baked Crayfish Thermidor & Fish $17.50

The Baked Crayfish Thermidor & Fish was served with Tartar sauce. Crayfish Thermidor consisted of a creamy mixture of crayfish meat, carrots, mushrooms, onions egg yolk and cheese stuffed into the crayfish shell which will then be baked. The amount of crayfish meat given was pathetic. This dish was saved by the fish which was fresh and complemented well with the tartar sauce.  

Mediterranean Seafood Platter (For One Person $16.80)

After shifting the fries to another plate

The Mediterranean Seafood Platter consisted of a combination of Prawn, Mussel, Calamari, Capelin, White Bait and Fish Finger Baked with Cheese. In addition, French Fries was added on top while Garlic Butter Rice was at the bottom. It was also served with a bowl of salad (as shown earlier).

As I ordered this dish, I could not help but notice the similarity between Manhattan Fish Market's and this. Manhattan Fish Market's version was certainly better (tastier, fresher). For The Naked Fish Shoppe's version, its prawn were not fresh (meat stuck to the shells) and the fries were hard. The Capelin was fishy, Calamari was overcook and the Garlic Butter Rice was not fragrant enough (tasted like plain rice). Need I say more?

Overall, this was a very disappointing meal. I had expected much better food. Even though I had purchased the Groupon voucher, I still had to top up $14.15 on top of the $15 I had paid for the voucher. (total bill amount was $44.15) I would have been better off visiting Manhattan Fish Market. 

The Naked Fish Shoppe (Yio Chu Kang)

The Grassroots' Club

190 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, #01-02

Tel: 6457 8223

Website

Facebook

Location

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