Island Creamery (Serene Centre)

Island Creamery a ice cream parlour specialises in producing freshly made premium ice creams with local flavours. Premium ingredients are used with no artificial flavours, colourings, preservatives, eggs or gelatine. 

I visited Island Creamery at Serene Centre, located at the junction of Bukit Timah Road and Farrer Road. Island Creamery and Tom’s Palette seems to have similar branding. But the key differentiator is that Island Creamery is known for its local flavour ice cream such as Teh Tarik, Pulut Hitam, Pineapple Tart, Holicks and Bandung. The lastest addition they have is Bak Kwa ice cream!

Menu

Another differentiator is that besides Ice Creams, there are Ice Cream Cakes, Baked Alaska and Mudpies.

Fridge full of Ice Cream Cakes, Mudpies and tubs of Ice Cream for take away

Double Scoop Ice Cream [Pulut Hitam (left) & Nutella (right)] $4.50

We ordered the Double Scoop Ice Cream with the 2 flavours Pulut Hitam and Nutella. Pulut Hitam is also know as Black Glutinous Rice. The Pulut Hitam ice cream taste just like the real thing! Whoever though of making this dessert into an ice cream is a genius! The Nutella was good too. I wish that there was more chunks of Nutella in it.

Mud Pie $4.80

Top to bottom layer of ice cream: ReversO, Cookies'n Cream and Burnt Caramel)

The Mud Pie is highly recommended by my sister. The top layer and bottom layer is covered in Oreo crumbs. In the middle, there are 3 layers of ice cream namely; (top to bottom) ReversO, Cookies'n Cream and Burnt Caramel. The Mud Pie was superb! I like their crunchy Oreo crumbs. And it certainty helps that their ice cream is fabulous too! Another must try item!

We decided to buy a tub of ice cream back home, had a hard time deciding what to buy.

Used to pack the ice cream

Tub of Nutella Ice Cream $9.00

Tub of Nutella Ice Cream $9.00

After hesitating for a long time, we decided to buy a tub of Nutella. We were torn between buying Pulut Hitam or Nutella. This time round, I felt that the Nutella taste slightly different from the one I had at Serene Centre. It was more diluted with much even lesser chunks of Nutella. Do note that the ice cream has to be consumed within 3 days as no preservatives were added.

I wish that I live near Island Creamery. However, I am putting up in the north and Serene Centre is located too far away. If not for that, I would frequent this ice cream parlour for its Pulut Hitam Ice Cream! If you are in the area, try the ice cream there!

ps: Readers in Indonesia who happen to read this, Island Creamery has opened a Indonesia (near Jakarta)

Island Creamery (Serene Centre)
10 Jalan Serene
#01-03 Serene Centre
Tel: 6468 8859
Opening Hours: Sun to Thurs11am - 10pm
                          Fri, Sat, Eve and Public Holidays 11am - 11pm
Website: 
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Island Creamery (Great World City)
1 Kim Seng Promenade
Tel: 6733 7668
Opening Hours: Daily 11am - 930pm

Island Creamery (Holland Village)3 Lorong Liput #01-02
Holland Village Shopping Mall
Tel: 6466 6865
Opening Hours: Sun to Thurs 11am - 10pm
                          Fri, Sat, Eve and Public Holidays 11am - 11pm


Island Creamery (King Albert Park)
11 King Albert Park 
#01-02 McDonald's Place
Tel: 6467 1571
Opening Hours: Sun to Thurs 11am - 10pm
                           Fri, Sat, Eve & PH 11am - 11pm

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Manhattan Fish Market: Manhattan Fish 'N Chips at $3.99 (29th to 30th March 2012)

Source: Manhattan Fish Market Singapore

Manhattan Fish Market: Manhattan Fish 'N Chips at $3.99 instead of $10.90 (29th to 30th March 2012)

- Valid from 29th to 30th March 2012 from 11am to closing time
- Valid for take-away and dine-in
- Each guest is entitled to a maximum of two $3.99 Manhattan Fish 'N Chips (Dory)
- All prices subjected to Service Charge and GST
- Not valid with other discounts, privileges and vouchers
- While stocks last
- Manhattan Fish Market reserves the all rights to change the terms and conditions without prior notice

Taishoken (Ramen Champion @ Iluma)

With this visit to try Taishoken, I have covered 5 out of the 6 ramen stalls at Ramen Champion at Iluma. I am just left with Ikkosha to try!

Let's go back to Taishoken. Taishoken started out more than 50 years ago is well known in Tokyo. 

Pardon me for the unclear pictures

Moreover, it is the inventor of the concept Tsukemen. 

Tsukemen is the concept whereby the soup and ramen are served separately. The soup in this case is concentrated and customers dip the noodles into the soup before drinking. Once the ramen has been eaten, customers can drink the soup by diluting it with fish based soup from the stall.

Menu

As usual, order with the staff, and you get a disk which will vibrate once your ramen is cooked. I noticed that there are no longer any queues at Ramen Champion unlike the first month when it was open. Now I get my food much faster. 

Tokyo Ramen Deluxe (Regular) $15.00

I did not try their Tsukemen. Instead, ordered the Tokyo Ramen Deluxe (Regular) for $15.00

The broth was made from chicken, pork and anchovies. It was on the salty end. The ramen was springy, thin and firm. The Chashu (char siew) was flavourful, however was accompanied by too much fats (which of course is a factor that some may like).

The egg was not bad especially when I compare it to the one I got from Tetsu Ramen. Egg yolk was molten, not powdery (overcooked). The egg white on the other hand was cooked; hard when it should have been gooey and soft. 

Well, again taste is subjective, what is deem as salty / nice to me may not be the same for you. The best way is to go down and give it a try! For fans of Ramen Champions, the good news is that they have opened a branch at Changi Airport Terminal 3. However, there are only 4 stalls: Gantetsu, Ikkosha, Riki and Gensuke. (yes, 2 new stalls!)

The six Ramen restaurants are:

1.IROHA from Toyama
2.BARIO from Tokyo
3.GANTETSU from Sapporo
4.TETSU from Tokyo
5.IKKOSHA from Hakata
6.TAI SHO KEN from Tokyo

Taishoken (Ramen Champion @ Iluma)
201 Victoria Street
#04-08/09/10 Iluma (Bugis)
Tel: 6238 1011
Opening Hours: Daily 1130 am to 1030 pm
Website

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McDonald's Singapore $1.90 McChicken (27th March to 1st April 2012)

Source: McDonald's Singapore

McDonald's Singapore $1.90 McChicken (27th March to 1st April 2012)


- Valid from 27th March to 1st April 2012
- One A La Carte McChicken redemption per transaction
- Print or flash coupon to redeem
- Valid after breakfast hours for dine-in
- Not valid at institutional stores and iFly Singapore
- Not valid for takeaways
- While stocks last  

Raffles Marina Bistro (Raffles Marina Country Club)

Raffles Marina Bistro is located in Raffles Marina Country Club in Tuas, near to the Tuas Checkpoint (2nd link). It serves a variety of food; Indian, Western, Local and dessert cuisine. Raffles Marina Bistro is not only well known for its food but also the view it offers. You can dine and enjoy the sea view, sunset and sea breeze.

I was told that they are well known for their Satay, Beef Hor Fan and Laksa. Was brought to this place by chance. It is not very accessible unless you have a car (after all it is a prestige country club, people who comes in mostly drive or take a cab).

Laksa $9.80

I ordered the Laksa which consist of thick bee hoon, prawns, fish cakes, bean sprouts and quail egg. The laksa gravy was fragrant and there were lots of bits of dried shrimp in it. In terms of spiciness it was just right for me. It was delicious and I drank quite a significant portion of the gravy. Another highlight would be the prawns which were extremely fresh though small in size. It was a very delicious bowl of laksa. But I still prefer 928 Yishun Laksa. Reasons being, the portions given are more, the gravy is more fragrant and it is more value for money!

I did try the Satay too. However, did not manage to take any photos. The Satay were delish! Tender and juicy!

The downside of Raffles Marina Bistro is that it is really inaccessible unless you drive. In addition, I live in the North part of Singapore. It is very unlikely I will be back here any time soon unless I come by Tuas again. It's a pity as the view is awesome; a great place to just chill out and relax.

Raffles Marina Bistro (Raffles Marina Country Club)
10 Tuas West Drive
Raffles Marina
Tel: 6869 2299
Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 10pm (last order 930pm)
Website

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Qiu Yun Ban Mian (Golden Mile Food Centre)

I have noticed that there was always a queue at this stall; Qiu Yun Ban Mian (Not Qiu Lian Ban Mian) during my visits to Golden Mile Food Centre or Beach Road Army Market. There are no reviews in the internet on this place at all. But I am sure there's a reason for the queue.

During this visit, the queue stretched all the way to the opposite stall. I noticed that this stall is manned by a young Chinese couple. The female takes the order, collects the money and prepare the ingredients for cooking. Interestingly, the male does the cooking, multitasking between 4 stoves.

Menu

A quick glance at some of the items and prices. I noticed that the items are relatively cheap.

Yu (You) Mian $2.80

I queued for almost 20 minutes before receiving my order. Quite fast despite the queue. I was shocked when I received my order as you may notice from the above picture, there was no vegetables given. Thinking that it was a mistake, I inform the lady, but she told me there was no mistake.

Well this is the Yu Mian / You Mian. The broth was surprisingly flavourful. The You Mian (thin noodles) normally hand made by each individual stall was delicious! One can taste the fragrant and flavour in each strand of the noodle. It has been a long time since I ate a You Mian that was this fragrant and flavourful. Overall, a very decent bowl of You Mian. In addition, at $2.80, this is very cheap as most other handmade noodles stalls sells their You Mian at $3.30 or $3.50 at other coffee shops. The only down side was the lack of vegetables. Qiu Yun Ban Mian is certainty worth a try. No wonder there is always a perpetual queue at the stall.

Qiu Yun Ban Mian (Golden Mile Food Centre)
505 Beach Road
#01-103 Golden Mile Food Centre
Tel: 84185158
Closed on Saturday

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Pizza Hut Singapore Weekday Buy 1 Get 1 Free (From 19 March 2012)

Source: Pizza Hut Singapore

Source: Pizza Hut Singapore 

Pizza Hut Singapore Weekday Wonders Buy 1 Get 1 Free (From 19 March 2012)

- 15 different 1 for 1 choices available
- Weekdays only. Not valid on Public Holidays
- Limited to 2 redemptions per table per bill
- Free item must be of same or lower value
- Valid for dine in only, any time of the day
Note: No end date was specified for this promotion (Hence, if you want to enjoy the offer, hurry down. Or you can always check with the staff before entering)

High Society (Marina Bay Sands)

High Society is a record company and is the only record company in the world that is endorsed by all four major recording labels ; Sony, Universal Music, Warner and EMI. You may be wondering what High Society has to do with food since it is a record company. Well, High Society has ventured into the F&B industry and opened its first music theme restaurant in Asia at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Display of cakes

 The restaurant has a very modern and classy look. Looks like the perfect place for a date!

Two Menus

Two different menus. 1 for wine and 1 for the set lunch. There are 3 different set lunch to choose from. We chose the lunch set that cost $29++ with choice of Starter, Soup of the Day, Choice of Main and Choice of Black Coffee or English Breakfast Tea.

Starter - Salmon Tartar

There are two choice for Starters; Salmon Tartar or Crab Caesar. I choose Salmon Tartar.

Soup of the Day - French Onion Soup

Soup of the Day - French Onion Soup

The French Onion Soup was full of.. well caramelised onions. The caramelised onions were delicious! However, the soup was on the salty end.

Choice of Main - Oxtail Stew

Choice of Main - Oxtail Stew (Focaccia Bread)

My friend ordered the Oxtail Stew which was served with Focaccia Bread. The Oxtail was stewed in red wine sauce and underneath the Oxtail, there's mashed potato.

Choice of Main -  Chicken Vin Jaune

I ordered the Chicken Vin Jaune was seared baby chicken served with madeira sauce. It is served along with Asparagus, sauteed mushrooms and carrot puree. The chicken was delicious! Outside, it was seared till its skin was very crispy! Inside, the meat was very soft, tender and juicy! I would have given this dish a perfect score.

But well... I was disappointed... the joint area was under-cooked with red blood visible. When I inform the waiter, he told me that the meat was cooked and that it was the lighting that made it look red. Well, with his (waiter) remark, I was even more disappointed as this was not the way this should be handled. (With such a nice setting and ambience, their customer service did not match up to it) It was clearly undercooked. As it was a happy occasion and I was with my friends, I did not want to make a big fuss. I just left that part untouch.

English Breakfast Tea

English Breakfast Tea which they used their own blend of tea mix. Nothing special about its taste, was normal.

Initially, when I entered this place, I thought that this could be a perfect place for a date. But after the meal, I guess not. The food and customer service were disappointing.

High Society (Marina Bay Sands)
10 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-43/44 The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands
Tel: 6688 7522
Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday 10am - 11pm
                          Friday to Saturday 10am - 1am
Website

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KFC Singapore Weekly $5 Deal: $5 Zinger Meal (19 to 25 March 2012)

KFC Singapore is starting its 35th Anniversary celebrations with Weekly $5 Deals: 

Week 1: Special from 12 to 18 March 2012 
2pcs Chicken Meal includes 1 wing or drumstick 

Week 2: Special from 19 to 25 March 2012 
Zinger Meal 

Week 3: Special from 26 March to April 2012 
Roasta Meal 

Week 4: Special from 2 to 8 April 2012 
Bandito Pockett Meal 

Week 5: Special from 9 to 15 April 2012 
Ultimate Value Box 

Week 6: Special from 16 to 22 April 2012 
2pcs Chicken Meal includes 1 wing or drumstick  

Source:KFCSingapore

KFC Singapore Weekly $5 Deal: $5 Zinger Meal (19 to 25 March 2012)
- Valid for dine-in and takeaways only
- Not required to flash or print coupon
- Not available at KFC Far East Square, Playground @ Big Splash, Sentosa, Singapore Polytechnic and Singapore Zoo
- While stocks last 

Xin Yuan Ji 新源记 (Tan Quee Lan Street)

Xin Yuan Ji  新源记  has  been around for a long time and is located at Tan Quee Lan Street which is opposite Bugis Junction. It is well known for charcoal fish head steamboat, fish soup and curry fish.

If you arrive during meal times, it is likely that there will be a queue. But no worries as they clear the queue pretty fast.

Xin Yuan Ji Menu Cover

Part of Menu

Part of Menu

We ordered a Fried Fish Meat Mee Hoon and a Fried Red Snapper Fish Head Mee Hoon.

Look at what is given! This is for my fish head bones.

Although the place was packed, our dishes arrived within 15minutes.

Fried Fish Meat Mee Hoon $5.50

I only tried a spoonful of the Fried Fish Meat Mee Hoon. The soup based was similar to mine. The fried fish meat was fresh and not fishy at all.

Fried Red Snapper Fish Head Mee Hoon $6.80

The Fried Red Snapper Fish Head Mee Hoon's soup with milk added was sweet and tasty. The fish head meat was very fresh and well fried. Wish that more generous portion of fish head was given. But this was certainty worth it. Definitely will be back for more.

Xin Yuan Ji  新源记 (Tan Quee Lan Street)
#01-01, 31 Tan Quee Lan Street 
Tel: 6334 4086
Opening Hours: Daily 11am - 1am
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Soyato Buy 1 Get 1 Free (till 31st March 2012)

Source: Soyato

Soyato Buy 1 Get 1 Free (till 31st March 2012)
Enjoy 1 for 1 Scoop Deal at Soyato at Bugis Junction (#B1-K5)

- Valid till 31st March 2012
- Print or flash coupon to redeem
- Valid for Scoop purchases only
- Only valid for Soyato at Bugis Junction (#B1-K5)