Showing posts with label Area: Clarke Quay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Area: Clarke Quay. Show all posts

Tuesday 29 January 2013

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松發肉骨茶 (New Bridge Road)

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松發肉骨茶 has been serving Teochew style Bak Kut Teh (pork ribs soup) to its customers since 1969. Today, they have 3 outlets. Two of which are located a few units away from each other along New Bridge Road, directly opposite Clarke Quay MRT station. 
Upon stepping into Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, I could feel a sense of nostalgic with its wooden ceiling, stools and tables that were used in the past and also the decoration with black and white photos of the olden days. What was most pleasant was that it was neat, clean and air-conditioned. 

Bak Kut Teh was invented by Chinese immigrants in Malaya in the 19th century. In those days, the immigrants were manual workers who were poor. As their job require lots of energy, they had to find ways to boost their energy. As such, they used cheap pork ribs and herbs like coriander, cloves, star anise and pepper to cook soup. Besides being able to drink the nutritious soup, they were also able to enjoy the meat on ribs. Satisfying their hunger pangs and the need to replenish their energy. As a result, the Teochew style Bak Kut Teh  (as what we know today) unlike the Klang version is peppery and clear. Personally, I prefer the Teochew Style Bak Kut Teh (I am a Teochew). 
Menu
They offer several many other dishes such as Pork Liver Soup, Pork Stomach Soup as well as Braised Pig Trotter to complement the peppery Bak Kut Teh as shown in the Menu above.

Pork Ribs Soup $6.50, Rice $0.60, You Tiao (油条) $1
I ordered the Pork Ribs Soup (Bak Kut Teh) along with a bowl of rice and You Tiao.
Pork Ribs Soup $6.50
Three pieces of pork ribs was served in the Pork Ribs Soup (Bak Kut Teh). The meat on the pork rib was quite tough; not as tender as I hope it would be. Fortunately, the soup saved the day. Clear, tasty and peppery. Full  garlic and star anise flavour, so aromatic. The soup was refillable and I refilled it three times in total! 
You Tiao (油条) $1
I could not resist ordering the You Tiao (油条) aka Dough Fritters to go along with the Bak Kut Teh. The best way to savour this is to dip it into the soup to allow it to soak up all the soup. Shiok! 

Overall, a decent bowl of Bak Kut Teh. Certainly not the best. In terms of price, it was affordable considering that the place was air conditioned and there was no service charge (the service in terms of ordering, serving, refilling of soup was prompt and efficient). 

Song Fa Bak Kut Teh 松發肉骨茶 (New Bridge Road)
17 New Bridge Road #01-01
Tel: 6438 2858
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 11am to 10pm
                          Closed on Sun
Website
Facbook


Songfa Bak Kut Teh (New Bridge Road) - a few units away
11 New Bridge Road #01-01
Tel: 6533 6128
Opening Hours: Tue to Sun 7am to 10pm
                          Closed on Sun

Songfa Bak Kut Teh
UE BizHub East (North Tower Office)
#01-38, 6 Changi Business Park Ave 1
Tel: 6694 8098
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 930pm

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Yayoiken Japanese Restaurant (Bugis+)

Yayoiken a well-known Japanese restaurant chain specialises in serving Japanese-Western cuisine. The Japanese restaurant has come a long way with its first stall opened in Kayabacho, Tokyo more than 125 years ago! At that time, western cuisine was rare in Japan. Today, Yayoiken has 180 restaurants in Japan and 60 in Thailand. In Singapore, Yayoiken has two outlets. The first was opened Liang Court in December 2011 while it's second outlet is at Bugis+ which was opened in May 2012. 

Miso Katsu Set $13.90
Ordered the Miso Katsu Set which consisted of rice and soup along with a main dish (Miso Katsu) and two side dishes (Pickles and Beancurd). Yayoiken follows the traditional culinary concept called 'ichiju-sansai' which literally means 'one soup and three sides'. This refers to a three dishes (one main and two sides) along with rice and miso soup.
Miso Katsu Set - Pickles
Free flow of pickles, every table has a bottle full of 'tsukemono' pickles placed at the side.
Miso Katsu Set - Miso Katsu
The Miso Katsu, pork cutlet simmered with miso paste (sauce) was served with potato and an egg. The Miso Katsu was well flavoured but too tough for my liking. In addition, the miso paste made the crust of the katsu soggy. I should have have realised that before ordering. The upside was that the the miso paste complemented well with rice. 

Service wise, had a hard time getting the attention of the service staff. They seemed to be under-staff and unable to cope with the crowd.

Yayoiken Japanese Restaurant (Bugis+)
201 Victoria Street
#01-08 Bugis+ (former Iluma)
Tel: 6636 5448
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm 
Website
Location

Yayoiken Japanese Restaurant (Liang Court)
117 River Valley Road
#B1-50 Meidi-Ya Supermarket, Liang Court
Tel: 6338 7170
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm


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Tuesday 24 July 2012

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)

Shin Yeh 欣葉, a well known Taiwanese restaurant chain has established itself in Singapore at the 2nd level of Liang Court. It is brought over to Singapore under the Tung Lok Group (might be a franchise agreement, I am not too sure).


The interior of Shin Yeh was spacious and classy. There are many private rooms suitable for (large groups) family gatherings. There is a nice view of the Clarke Quay river towards the very end of the restaurant. If you would like a table with such a view, it would be advisable to make reservations.
Appetiser - Braised Beancurd $3

Kick started the meal with the appetiser; Braised Beancurd
Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander $14
The signature Wok-seared Pig's Liver with Coriander had garnered the most raves on the net. It did not disappoint. No wonder this is a must order dish at Shin Yeh. Very tasty, it was still tender and soft in the interior. It was quick fry under high heat to seal the flavours in and prevent the liver from being overcook. 
Pan-fried Turnip Cake $10
The signature Pan-fried Turnip Cake was very well executed. The crunchy dried turnips (chye poh) were not overly salty while the egg was fluffy and moist. Despite being so thick, it was well cooked. Moreover, it was not oily and certainly not soggy after a period of time. This dish was a test for the chef's skill and I am most impressed by the execution of the dish. A case of minimal seasoning, non-greasy and using the freshness and natural flavour of the ingredient (turnip). However, $10 for this, is quite expensive. In layman terms, it is just egg with turnips (chye poh)..
Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken $16
The Poached Savoury Kampong Chicken was another hit. The skin was crunchy while the meat was very tender, juicy and tasty. There was a layer of jelly underneath the skin (this occurs when the chicken is dunked into iced water after the cooking process to chill it to ensure that the chicken will not be overcooked).  Polished off this dish and still wanted more despite it being just the 2 of us.
Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person)
Double-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage $28 (per person) 
This bowl of Doubled-boiled Shark's Fin with Bamboo Pith, Dried Scallops and Cabbage was incredibly delish! The bamboo Pith was cooked till soft, retained its shape and texture, and had absorbed essence of the soup. The cabbage added sweetness to the soup. While the scallop enhanced the flavour further. It was a delight drinking this flavourful, tasty soup together with the ingredients including the Shark's Fin. Desipte the fact that not a lot of shark's fin were given, this bowl of soup was unforgettable for all the positive reasons stated above.
Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) $12
The Wok-fried Seasonal Vegetables (Broccoli) was decently cooked. Not overcooked, not undercooked. The timing was just right and it was tasty.
Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge $1.50 (per person)
Pipping hot Taiwan-style Sweet Potato Porridge to complement the dishes ordered. For this dish, it is refillable. We had two bowls each. The porridge was cooked till the rice grains were soft and still retained its shape. 
Chinese Tea $12 (per pot)
Pot of Chinese tea that was kept warm by the tea light below. 
Complimentary Muah Chee
Complimentary Muah Chee with grounded peanuts. The peanuts were too finely grated for my liking.

The dishes that we had were impressive and delicious. To me, it was all hits except for the complimentary Muah Chee. The only issue I have is the service. The dishes were served quickly (which was a good thing for us). Initially, the service was prompt, our pot of tea was refilled with hot water constantly. However, towards 730pm when the place was packed (almost full house). We had to request thrice before our pot of tea was refilled with hot water. In addition, to pay the bill, I waited for almost half an hour! Furthermore, The Muah Chee was served after I received the bill slip. It was pretty obvious that there were insufficient staff as several customers were also trying to get the attention of the waitress/waiter.

Another point to note, is that the prices of the food are on the higher tier. But for this quality, I can't complain much as the dishes were delicious and used quality ingredients. Worth the price! It is highly recommended that reservations be made if you are coming over for a meal on weekends or Friday as the restaurant was full during my visit on a Saturday night.

Shin Yeh 欣葉 (Liang Court)
177 River Valley Road 
#02-19 Liang Court
Tel: 6338 7337
Opening Hours: Daily - Lunch 1130am to 230pm, Dinner 630pm to 1030pm
Website
Location

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Mazazu Crepe (Liang Court)

Mazazu Crepe located at the basement of Liang Court specialises in serving crepes. It is the franchise of the Japanese chain; Mother's Crepe and Cafe. According to their website, they use their own proprietary recipe of crepe mix and whip cream (lower fat content, lower in cholesterol) that aims to create delicious yet healthy snack for every child. Looks like the perfect place to have a dessert after a meal at Saizeriya
 There are limited seats available and the place was packed.
Four staff in total in the small stall. Each had a respective role and worked like clockwork. They were able to churn out the crepes within less 5 minutes upon the order.
Strawberry Brownie Gelato $6.80
Strawberry Brownie Gelato $6.80
Ordered the Strawberry Brownie Gelato (choice of either vanilla, green tea or chocolate gelato, we chose vanilla gelato). The crepe instead of being served in a plate, was wrapped up like an ice cream cone. The crepe was soft with a buttery fragrant. Inside, it was filled with Vanilla Gelato, slices of Strawberry and a chunk of Brownie. The strawberries were very fresh and sweet. Overall, I thought that this combination of ingredients tasted great with the crepe. (in fact giving me gelato with the crepe will be make my day after any meal!)
Hot Choco Banana $4.80
Hot Choco Banana $4.80
The Hot Choco Banana was also delish. The combination of hot chocolate and banana complemented the crepe well.

Located outside Meidi Ya Supermarket, there was a constant crowd passing through the area. When I was there enjoying the crepe, I noticed that the crowd kept coming. Most people just take away their order and have it while on the go. Wrapping the crepe like an ice cream is such a good idea, it also result in cost savings from need more seating capacity to the need for plates. An interesting place to check out for desserts. (There's always room for dessert!)

Mazazu Crepe (Liang Court)
177 River Valley Road
#B1-30 Liang Court
Tel: 6337 1404
Opening Hours: Daily 1030am to 10pm
Website

Monday 9 July 2012

Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe (Liang Court)

Saizeriya restaurant, a Japanese chain of Italian style family restaurant well-known for its low prices first opened in 1968 in Japan. Today, it has expanded to over 750 stores world wide, in Japan, China and South East Asia. 

In Singapore, Saizeriya has 4 outlets in Liang Court, City Square Mall, Bukit Timah Plaza and Toa Payoh Central and is known as Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe. Similarly, it has made a name for itself in Singapore as a place for affordable (value-for-money) Italian food. 

Made a visit down to their outlet in Liang Court, near Clarke Quay for dinner on a weekend. The restaurant was packed. In terms of ambience and decoration, it was simple and causal.  
Drinks Station
Drinks Station, where you can have free flow of drinks for just $2.80 per person. A very good deal as there is a wide variety of drinks available ranging from Cappuccino, Coffee, Tea (Earl Grey, Green Tea, Peppermint, Camomile), Lemon Barley, Orange Juice, Pepsi, Ice Lemon Tea, Mug Rootbeer, Mountain Dew to H-TWO-O!
Menu Cover
The food on the menu cover looks so appetising.
Garden Salad (small) 
Alternatively, instead of paying $2.80 for free flow of drinks, you can pay $3.90 instead for a Garden Salad and free flow of drinks.
Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings (4pcs) $3.90
Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings served on a hotplate is one of their best sellers and has garnered many positive reviews on the net. They were very well marinated and tasty. However, it arrived on a hot plate with a layer of oil that resulted in the exterior (of the wings) being soggy.
Oven Grilled Escargot $5.80
The Oven Grilled Escargot (cooked snails) cooked in their own recipe of special garlic butter sauce. It may not be the best, but it was pretty good and yummy with the sauce. At $5.80 nett, the price is ridiculously cheap affordable. (I do not know where else can one get such decent half dozen escargots at such prices!) If  you have not tried this before, and do not want to burn a hole trying it out, this is the place for you. If you have been craving for esargots, this is also the place to have a quick and value-for-money escargot fix.
Focaccia with Garlic Butter $2.20
We were torn between ordering the Original Focaccia or the Focaccia with Garlic Butter. Following the recommendation of the staff, we ordered Focaccia with Garlic Butter. Focaccia is a flat oven baked Italian bread. Saizeriya version looks similar to a naan or prata. Nevertheless, it was delish! A must order. We were so tempted to order another one.
Chicken Bolognese Doria $4.40
Chicken Bolognese Doria another best seller, is white sauce baked rice with their special recipe of chicken meat sauce. Well-executed dish with lots of creamy cheese on top complementing the baked rice at the bottom. If only more meat sauce and some meat was given. But at this price, I can't complain.
Black Pepper Chicken Steak $6.90
Black Pepper Chicken Steak served with corns, wedges and black pepper sauce on a hot plate. The corn was very sweet, while the wedges were a tad too soft. The chicken was decent but the oily was not drained off properly. It was saved by the black pepper sauce which was complemented it perfectly.

All prices quoted on the menu are nett and there is no service charge. Despite there being no service charge, the service was prompt and efficient, from seating, ordering, serving, clearing of dirty plates to paying the bill. Each staff knew their role and everything went like clockwork. My first dish was served within 5 minutes after I have ordered. Needless to say, I am impressed by the efficiency of the staff and also the food. There were hits and misses, but taking into consideration the prices, its pretty reasonable. I will definitely be back! 

Liang Court is now having the Gourmet Journey event in the mall till 29 July 2012. (Its hard to miss it out. The posters are all over the mall). There will be several challenges held during the two upcoming weekends. Some of the events that caught my eyes are the Tamago Peel-Off, Kraze Time and Cooking Demonstration.
Gourmet Journey Poster (Source: Liang Court)
I used to Liang Court just for my Tampopo fix. During this recent visit, I saw more restaurants such as Nirai-Kanai, Shin Yeh, Marutama Ramen, Mazazu Crepe, Trung Nguyen Cafe and Shabu No Koya. On my next visit, I will aim to try Shin Yeh.
Meidi-Ya Supermarket
Of course, a visit to Liang Court is not completed without a visit to Meidi-Ya Supermarket! It is a supermarket well-known among the Japanese community for its authentic Japanese products directly imported from Japan.  

Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe (Liang Court)
177 River Valley Road
#02-22 Liang Court
Tel: 6337 9001
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Location 

Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe (City Square Mall)
180 kitchener Road
#B2-55/56 City Squre Mall
Te: 6834 4877
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe (Bukit Timah Plaza)
1 Jalan Bukit Anak
#02-24C Bukit Timah Plaza
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Saizeriya Ristorante E Caffe (Toa Payoh Central)
Blk 190 #02-514
Tel: 6253 8001
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm

Sunday 18 September 2011

Fisherman’s Market (The Central)

*Edited Aug 2012: Closed*

Fisherman’s Market is the first restaurant by the well established Japanese company Create Restaurants to open outside of Japan. Create Restaurants has portfolio of over 110 food concepts and it chose Singapore to open its first restaurant outside of Japan.



Fisherman’s Market is a all you can eat seafood buffet concept. Located at Clarke Quay (The Central), it has a total floor space of 10,000 sq ft spread across 2 levels. The first level is for a la carte patrons while the second level is for the buffet which can seats 300 patrons.


Notice that their logo seems to be a crab. Think they chose the right symbol. Will explain why at the end of the post.
Buffet Menu
If you are observant, you would have noticed that their menu has changed slightly. Their price has changed to $44.90 and cheese fondue is no longer in the menu. It was only when I was inside then I realised there was no cheese fondue after enquiring with a staff. Was disappointing, as I had wanted to try it! Moreover, I did not see any blue crab cocktail or crepes ….I am assuming that they all ran out whenever I check the counters out as it is clearly stated in the menu. But it adds up to the disappointment.

Anyway I arrived at 7pm on a Saturday and it was about 50% occupied.
Sashimi and Cold Food
Dishes were missing such as blue crab cocktail. The Sashimi were not cold and firm enough, might have been left out for too long.
Oysters, Prawns and Mussels
The mussels were fresh, but the prawns were not. The meat of the prawn was not firm and the shell stuck to its shell. Normally, in a buffet I would have polished off quite a number of prawn sadly, this was not the case. My favourite among the 3 was the Oysters! The oysters were fat and juicy, very fresh. Just a drop of Tobasco sauce and light squeeze 0f lemon will be sufficient. Ate 11 pieces of it!
Hot Food

Pizzas
Crabs, Pork ribs
The Hot Food Section is where you can find the pizzas, spaghetti, chilli crab, black pepper crab and pork ribs. Items such as chilli crab, black pepper crab and pork ribs gets polished off as soon as it is served. It was not easy getting any of these 3 items. Well, a tip you are better off waiting for either of the crabs compared to the pork rib. The pork rib was plain in taste, not fragrant not well marinated.
Pepper Crab 
Chilli Crab
It is not easy to land our hands on the crab pincers. As before the crab was served there was already people waiting for the crabs and whoever was there first almost always aim for the pincers first. The Pepper and Chilli Crab was delicious. We were quite lucky that we managed to get several helpings of crab pincers! The first few servings, the crab was fresh, its meat was easily pulled out, firm, sweet and absorbed the sauce. But towards the next few servings, the crab meat stuck to the shell and was not as fresh. Also, it was quite obvious that  the crabs have been put on diet. Despite these, the crabs (pincers) was one of the best dishes.
The rest of the food was average, so it will be just pictures and 1 or 2 liners.

Teppanyaki and Tempera
Sushi
Sushi was average and the rice breaks up easily.
Fruits
Dessert
Chocolate Fondue
There is a machine for you to make DIY ice cream next to the chocolate fondue.

Overall, my take is that most of the food are really just average with the exception of Pepper Crabs, Chilli Crabs and Oysters. No wonder their logo is a crab logo. The rest, I did not really have a second helping of it. Also, I never got to try some of the items such as Blue Crab Cocktail and Pasta Vongole Bianca despite going back to search for it several times. To add on to the disappointment, cheese fondue was taken off the menu. Moreover, we had to wait 25 minutes for the bill to arrive despite asking for it twice! If you go there make sure you get the crabs and oysters!

 Fisherman’s Market (The Central)
 The Central @ Clarke Quay 
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#01-15 & 02-17
Tel: 6221 3177
Opening Hours: Daily 11am–11pm (1st Floor, Ala–carte) 
                          5pm–11pm (2nd Floor, Buffet)
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