Showing posts with label - Steak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label - Steak. Show all posts

Tuesday 30 July 2013

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya

Liang Court is currently having an event called Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails which will be held till 7 August 2013. Diners can purchase the Food Trail Coupon for $30 at the Customer Service Counter and get to enjoy 3 different set meals from 3 different restaurants in Liang Court and also a free beer. 
Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupon & Food Trail Guide
The first restaurant  has been pre-selected, diners can choose their second and third stops from  any of the remaining 11 participating F&B shops. I received a copy of the Food Trail Guide and two complimentary Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails Coupons. As shown above, the coupon shows that my first restaurant (pre-selected) is Tamoya. 
Marutama Ramen
Looking through all the set meals in the Guide, I decide to try Marutama Ramen first (there is no need to utilise the coupon in sequence). 
Marutama Ramen
The Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon allowed me to try the Zenbu-nose (U.P. $18). It was essentially the signature Marutama Ramen with all toppings! The toppings are the Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly), Sliced Roasted Pork, Aosa (Seaweed), Negi (Spring Onions) and Half-Boiled Seasoned Egg. 

Those who frequent Marutama Ramen would know that the signature Marutama Ramen (without toppings) would have cost $12 and an addition $6 is required if all toppings were added. 
Zenbu-nose
 The Zenbu-nose; with all toppings added!
Roasted Pork (Char Siew)
Three big pieces of Sliced Roasted Pork (Char Siew) were given. The roasted pork had quite a good balance of lean meat and fat ratio. So much so that it was tender.
Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly)
The Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) as it should be had a higher proportion of fats to lean meat compared to the Char Siew.
Half-boiled Seasoned Egg
The Half-boiled Seasoned Egg would have been perfect if its yolk was runny as they had got the marination right. It was a pity that it was slightly overcooked and the yolk was not runny.
Zenbu-nose
This bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen came with lots of ingredients like how it should be. If you were to take the cost of the Food Trail Coupon (i.e. $30) and divide by 3 restaurants, it means that essentially, you are paying for $10 per restaurant (do not forget, there's a free beer too).

Chew on this: Having this bowl of Zenbu-nose ramen would have covered more than 50% of your purchase of the coupon. 
The Italian Restaurant Saizeriya is one of the 12 participating restaurants.
Diners with Liang Court's Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon can get to try the US Sirlion Steak (U.P. $11.90) with Salad and Free-flow Drink Bar (U.P. $3.90).
US Sirloin Steak
The amount of food served with this coupon was astonishing. So generous! There was even a plate of rice!
Salad
 The salad which was served almost immediately after I had ordered the food.
US Sirloin Steak
The US Sirloin Steak was average. It was the most expensive on Saizeriya's menu. I felt that the steak was a tad too dry and hard. The portion of the serving was big considering the price.

So far I have tried the set meals at two participating outlets. I am impressed by the portions. I would have expected that the servings would likely be 'downsized'. But well, I was wrong. I am glad that the serving was the same as what a normal customer (without coupon) would have been served. Kudos to Liang Court and participating restaurants! The little things that matters.

I must say, this Wednesdays' Food Trail Coupon is value for money. If you had not bought it and are interested in buying this coupon, its not too late. You can still utilise the vouchers on 31st July and 7 August 2013! I am definitely going back to try the other restaurants on 7 Aug!

Thank you Kase  from AsiaMalls Management for the two coupons. 

Liang Court Wednesdays' Food Tasting Trails: Marutama Ramen and Saizeriya
Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road
Singapore 179030
Website
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Sunday 28 July 2013

Jamie's Italian Restaurant in Singapore (Vivocity)


Most food fanatics in Singapore would have probably read or heard that Jamie Oliver has opened a restaurant in Singapore called "Jamie's Italian". The 210 seater restaurant offers both indoors and alfresco dining.
I joined Pinky PigguRubbish Eat Rubbish Grow and Sg Food on Foot for dinner at the restaurant on a weekday. There was a long queue outside the restaurant. Thanks to Pinky Piggu who made the reservation, we did not have to join the queue. As this was Pinky Piggu's and Sg Food on Foot's second visit, they knew which dishes to avoid and which to order.

When ordering, we were surprised that several dishes such as Baked Mushrooms and Wild Mushroom Ravioli were already sold out. Looks like its advisable to come early.
Meat Plank ($15.50 per pax) 
Left with fewer choices, we ordered the Meat Plank ($15.50 per pax) which consisted of cured meat, pickles, cheeses (Buffalo Mozzarella and Pecorino with Chilli Jam) and crunchy salad. The cured meat were arranged in such a way that it was supposed to be consumed from the left to right.
Meat Plank ($15.50 per pax) - Buffalo Mozzarella, Crunchy Salad and Pecorino with Chilli Jam (left to right)
My favourite item on the meat plank was the Pecorino with Chilli Jam. It consisted of a thin piece of sardinian flat bread with pecorino cheese. The chilli jam on top was the 'icing on the cake'! It complemented the cheese perfectly! 

We also ordered several mains to share. The Risotto, Ravioli and Pasta comes in two sizes; small and large. Hence, there are two prices in the menu. For the pasta, the small and large portion weighs 75 and 150g respectively. According to the waitress, the pasta were all freshly made - daily with love. They had a molding machine which could churn out different pasta shapes.
Wild Truffle Risotto $16.50 
I thought that the Wild Truffle Risotto $16 / $24.50 was disappointing. I would have preferred if it was more flavourful and the risotto rice was softer (well, personal preference). Luckily we were sharing the dishes, I can't imagine myself finishing the whole dish by myself without feeling jerlak.
Jools' Favourite Sicilian Tuna Fusilli $14
The Jools' Favourite Sicilian Tuna Fusilli $14 / $21 name after Jamie Oliver's wife was a dish which he created for his wife when she was pregnant. As such this dish was skewed towards a sourish flavour with a tangy kick. In addition, using fusilli pasta (corkscrew shaped) allowed  the pasta to be coated with more of the sauce. I quite like the overall taste of this pasta.
Tagliatelle Bolognese $15
The Tagliatelle Bolognese $15 / $22 with it's meat mix of beef, pork, herbs and cheese was delish.  In addition, the Bolognese sauce was robust and flavourful.

Next up are the two most expensive mains in the restaurant.
Pink Snapper Acqua Pazza $32
The Pink Snapper Acqua Pazza which cost $32 consisted of a whole pink snapper with olives, garlic wine, capers, parsley and baby plum tomatoes. It was surprisingly good! From the appearance alone, judging from the eyes of the fish, a fish fanatic would be able to tell that this fish was extremely fresh!

The Pink Snapper Acqua Pazza was executed perfectly, cooked to precise timing (not a second more, not a second less). The flesh of its meat was incredibly soft and moist. If it was cooked a little longer, the meat would have been overcooked and become hard and stiff. The sauce was equally up to the mark. It was light with fine balance of delicately sweet and salty flavour. A must order!!!
30 Day Mature Prime Rib (with truffle butter and shaved black truffles) $64.50
The 30 Day Mature Prime Rib cost $59.50, we added truffle butter & shaved Tuscan black truffles for $5.00. This main consisted of Angus breed bone-in strip loin served with wild mushrooms and peppery endives.

This was insanely delicious!! They have cooked this to perfection too. Even the sides (wild mushrooms and peppery endives) were downright delish! Another must order!!! The steak was done medium-rare, it was pinkish in the medium throughout the whole piece of steak - cooked evenly. It was just so tender, juicy, moist and well-seasoned! The melted truffle butter, further enhanced the tasty and 'moisturise' the meat. Satisfying and value for money!
Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue $11.50
For desserts, we ordered the Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue and Creamy Panna Cotta

I felt that the Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue $11.50 was average. Nothing particularly outstanding about it.
Creamy Panna Cotta $9
As for the Creamy Panna Cotta $9, it would be a dish which I would recommend. Both Pinky Piggu and Sg Food on Foot felt that the one which they had during their previous visit was better. This being my first visit and I thought that the Creamy Panna Cotta was outstanding!

The Creamy Panna Cotta was smooth, soft and wobbly. I really like the rasberry fruit compote which coated the outer layer of the Panna Cotta. In addition, after each bite of the Panna Cotta, the creamy and sweet after-taste which set in had me longing for more of this! The more I indulge in it, the more I love it! A must order!!

What a wonderful way to end the meal!
Overall, there were hits and misses. The two pastas we tried were decent, but the two most expensive mains; Pink Snapper Acqua Pazza and 30 Day Mature Prime Rib stole the show! It was worth the price ordering these two mains. Another item which I would order again is the Creamy Panna Cotta!

Service-wise, it was excellent! The waiters and waitresses frequently stop by to gather feedback from customers with regards to the food. In addition, they changed our plates frequently and on one occasion even our utensils. I can't help but wonder if it was because they knew that this was a group of 'bloggers'.

I can't wait to come back again to Jamie's Italian Restaurant! It is advisable to make reservations before coming. I have been eyeing Wild Mushroom Ravioli. If you have tried it before, do let me know if its good.

Do note that the menu in Jamie's Italian Restaurant will change twice a year with up to 20 dishes dishes being replaced. 

Jamie's Italian Restaurant in Singapore (Vivocity)
1 HarbourFront Walk
VivoCity, #1 165-167
Singapore 098585
Tel: 6733 5500
Opening Hours: Sun to Thurs 12pm - 10pm
                         Fri to Sat 12pm - 11pm

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Saturday 8 June 2013

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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Friday 17 May 2013

Jack's Place - Administrative Professionals Week (Woodlands Civic Centre)


Another trip to Jack's Place at level 2 of Woodlands Civic Centre. As I have done a few posts on Jack's Place, I shall not do any introduction on this chain of restaurant. You can read more about Jack's Place in the previous posts.
Signature white and green checkered table cloth and menu. All branches in Jack's Place looks and feel alike.
Administrative Professionals Week - Set Lunch Menu
We decided to order the Executive Set Lunch - N.Z. Ribeye Steak with Brown Sauce ($17.90) and were ordered that. As we were informing the staff that we wanted to upgrade to Lobster Bisque Soup (+$2.30), we were informed that we should order from the Administrative Professionals Week - Set Lunch Menu which would be more value-for-money as it comes with a choice of Lobster Bisque Soup or Cream of Fresh Shiitake Mushroom Soup. In addition, tempura prawns were served with the steak.

The staff was right. We were so glad that she made that recommendation! We both ordered the Grilled N.Z Ribeye Steak & Tempura Prawns. The staff kindly accommodated to our request for it to be served in the hot plate instead of a normal ceramic plate. Nothing beats eating steaks out of a sizzling hot plate! I am impress with the service! Thumbs up! 
Garlic Bread
Garlic Bread was served together with the soup. One piece for each person.
Cream of Fresh Shiitake Mushroom Soup
As usual, being mushroom fantics we had to order the mushroom soup - Cream of Fresh Shiitake Mushroom Soup. A hearty bowl of soup was filled with lots of small chunks of shiitake mushrooms and mushroom flavour!
Lobster Bisque Soup
Ever since I tried the Lobster Bisque Soup last year, I could not resist the temptation to order it again. Great soup, rich in flavour and great balance in taste. In addition, several chunks of lobster meat were in the soup. So affordable! The Lobster Bisque Soup is one of Jack's Place house specialty.
Grilled N.Z Ribeye Steak & Tempura Prawns
For our main course, we both ordered the Grilled N.Z Ribeye Steak & Tempura Prawns. The staff kindly accommodated to our request to serve it in a sizzling hot plate instead of the norm which is to serve in a ceramic plate. As usual, Jack's Place never disappoint me. Their steaks were good. It may not be the best, but its way above average. Their baked potato and vegetables were good too. The tempura prawns on the other hand was forgettable.
Brown Sauce
We always request for extra brown sauce. We both polish off the sauce off by complementing the sauce with the steak. So yummy! If only, I know how they made the brown sauce. The extra brown sauce was enough to make me satisfy me. Funny, how simple/trivia things can make a big difference. 
Day's Dessert and Coffee & Tea
We ended off the meal with the Day's Dessert and Coffee & Tea.
Cherry Cake
The Day's Dessert was Cherry Cake. It was not bad; not dry. Dense and well-flavoured cake.

For $18.90++ this meal was so value for money. In addition, I like their service. Staff are well trained, attentive and prompt. It was great that they made recommendation which was relevant to our needs wants. Great Job Jack's Place! I will be back! Nom Nom Nom.. 

I wonder how their other affiliated company - Eatzi Gourmet fares. Eatzi Gourmet serves similar food, the difference is that it is certified halal.

Jack's Place - Administrative Professionals Week (Woodlands Civic Centre)
#02-05/06 Woodlands Civic Centre
Tel: 6363 4803
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 1030pm

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Monday 4 March 2013

IKEA Restaurant & Cafe (Alexandra)

IKEA Restaurant & Cafe at Alexandra is also known as The IKEA Food Store. According to a report published last year, the best seller is actually their chicken wings and their Swedish Meatballs are their second best sellers in Singapore selling up to 39,000 meatballs daily! If that is the case, I wonder how many chicken wings they sell each day!
IKEA Restaurant & Cafe is normally very crowded, but the good news is that their dining area is huge! It was quite easy getting a table.  
There are also microwaves available should you need to heat up your food. 
IKEA Restaurant & Cafe is a self-service restaurant. Its concept is similar to a school's or army's cafeteria where customers queue up to take a tray, going to the different sections to order their food. There are also trolleys specially to put trays on it to make it easier to buy lots of food! Great concept. The flip side is that the food is typically prepared before hand and place on warmers. They are not cooked on the spot. 


Once you have collected your food, you will be required to pay up at the cashier. Fortunately, there was no need to lift all the trays up from the trolley. The cashier is able to tally the items without you needing to lift a finger.
Swedish Meatballs (10 pcs) $5.50
IKEA changed their Swedish Meatball recipe to make it softer and also more authentic. There were many customers who posted in IKEA Singapore's Facebook and also on forums requesting for IKEA to switch back to the previous Meatball recipe. After trying the Swedish Meatballs (made of a mixture of pork and beef), I am also one of those who prefer the previous version. This new version was way too soft, lacked texture and was not springy. The potatoes at the side were disappointing. they were hard and powdery.

Editor Note: IKEA Singapore temporary stopped the sales of their meatballs amid the horse meat scandal and sent their meatballs for DNA testing to ensure that they contain no horse meat. After the test results showed that there were no horse meat in the meatballs, IKEA Singapore released a press statement on 7 March stating that they will resume the sales of meatballs on 8 March 2013. To mark the return of the meatballs, IKEA will sell the meatballs at $0.10 per piece on 8 March 2013. 
Chicken Wings $2.80

The Chicken Wings were mouthwatering. The Chicken Wings were so well marinated that even the meat on the inside were tasty and fragrant. As for the outside, the skin was so crispy. Finger licking good and addictive. It will be hard to stop at one. Almost every table in here has a plate of Chicken Wings. 
Poached Salmon with Chives Sauce $7.90
The Poached Salmon with Chives Sauce was delish. A generous serving of salmon was given and the sauce complemented it perfectly. Again, the potatoes were hard and powdery. 
Ribeye Steak  $9.90
The Ribeye Steak served with potatoes, broccoli and mushroom sauce was disappointing. The steak was hard, tough and chewy. While the broccoli was overcooked and potatoes were powdery. The only consolation was that the mushroom sauce was quite good.

This time round, I was very disappointed with the quality of food at Ikea Restaurant and Cafe. The Swedish Meatballs, Ribeye Steak and Potatoes were terrible. The Chicken Wings are the only item that makes me want to go back. Can we have the old Swedish Meatballs back, please. 

IKEA Restaurant & Cafe (Alexandra)
317 Alexandra Road
#02-00 IKEA
Tel: 6378 1604
Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 10pm (last order 930pm)

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