The Replacement - Lodge & Kitchen (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

 Eggs Benedict RM25.90

As new players continue to join the cafe scene in Singapore, a similar trend is taking place across the causeway. There are at least 10 cafes along the stretch of shop houses at Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Tan Hiok Nee. Both streets are just 15 minutes walk away from the causeway.

We visited The Replacement - Lodge & Kitchen which is a cafe along Jalan Dhoby. We arrived on a week day at around 11am. The cafe has a small seating capacity of around 25. When  we arrived, the cafe was half full. By the time we left at around 12 noon, the cafe was full and there was a queue! It as obvious from the tone and slang that all the customers in the cafe were Singaporeans!

Beverage Menu 

The beverage (coffee, tea, juices and chocolate) menu.

Brunch Menu

Brunch Menu

Churros with Salted Egg Yolk Dip RM16.90

We ordered the Churros with Salted Egg Yolk Dip RM16.90 for sharing. It was a pity the churros was not crisp. The salted egg yolk dip was delicious. But towards the end it became quite jerlak.

The Breakfast Platter RM29.90

The Breakfast Platter consisted of buttery scrambled eggs, sautéed mushroom, grilled tomato, chicken sausage and turkey ham pastrami served with museli bread. At RM29.90, it was so value for money considering that it would have easily cost around $18 in Singapore. Moreover, it was delicious. One of their best dish! Shiok!

 Eggs Benedict RM25.90

Eggs Benedict with beef pastrami which cost RM25.90 was disappointing. The egg (yolk) were overcooked and no longer runny. As for the beef pastrami, they were on the salty end.

Overall, the prices at the cafe was reasonable and we really liked The Breakfast Platter. Do give it a try! With the number of cafes nearby, we are so spoil for choice! =)

The Replacement - Lodge & Kitchen (Malaysia, Johor Bahru)

33, Jalan Dhoby

Bandar Johor Bahru

80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Tel: 60 16 713 2714

Opening Hours: Daily 9 am to 7 pm

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Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

Complimentary Breakfast

 Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 is a popular guesthouse (minsu) located in Cing Jing.

 We chose this guesthouse because of the following reasons.

1) It has the best view as it is strategically located at the highest point of Cing Jing

2) Great reviews on the hospitable and and friendly service

3) Complimentary steamboat dinner and breakfast that garnered good reviews

I am not joking when I wrote that it has the best view. Look at the sunset! We had an unblocked view as we were at the highest point. We arrived just in time for sunset. The owners immediately told us to go to the porch to view the sunset, and leave the luggage with them and pay the remaining payment later.

If you thought that this view was great wait till you see the photo on sunrise at the end of this post. 

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Located so high in Cing Jing, the temperature was so cold, making it perfect for having steamboat dinner. The portion of food was for 4 persons.

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

The food was wrapped up in cling wrap to keep the food fresher till the guests were ready for dinner. Such thoughtful gesture from the owners! As for the meat and soup, they were served only after the guests were ready.

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

The ingredients provided were all very fresh. The only complain I had for the dinner was that there should have been more meat.

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

This is their homemade chilli dip. Spicy and addictive.

Everyone staying at the guesthouse all woke up early and waited for the sun to rise. This is the photo of the sunrise. Beautiful right?

Complimentary Breakfast (Toast and egg)

After watching the sunrise, everyone went for breakfast which consisted of toast, egg, fruit, salad and coffee or tea. The breakfast was cooked by the owner's wife.

Complimentary Breakfast (salad and fruit)

The breakfast was simple yet delicious especially the toast. However, the portion was too little =(.

Nevertheless, we had a great stay at Starry House Cottage. Highly recommended! 

Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

台灣南投縣仁愛鄉大同村博望巷96號

No.96.Bowang Ln,Ren'ai Township

546 Nantou  Taiwan

Tel: 049 280 2242
Website

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BeefSteak Nam Son (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

BeefSteak Nam Son also known as "Nam Sơn" among the locals is a no frills Vietnamese restaurant. I understand the locals love coming to this restaurant for breakfast and some visit as early as 6am or 630am!

BeefSteak Nam Son as its name suggests specialises in serving Vietnamese style western food; beefsteak (Bít tết). It has 2 branches. The branch that we went to was located along the Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai (main road).

After seeing the signboard, we turned in and found ourselves in a long alley filled with rows of motorcycles. At the end of the alley, we reached the entrance of the restaurant.

Entering the restaurant, we were greeted by rows of dark wooden tables and white plastic chairs that were arranged systematically to maximise the space. The above photo shows part of the outdoor dining area. There was also an indoor dining area with the same type of tables and chairs. In terms of furnishing, it was simple and basic. Although there was no air conditioners, the restaurant had high ceiling with many ceiling and wall fans. Hence, it was well-ventilated.

We were surprised to see that the restaurant was full when we arrived at 9am for breakfast as it had such a large sitting capacity. Despite the crowd, we were able to find a table shortly at the indoor dining area.

Menu 

The menu with most of main and side dishes. This should be for foreigners as it was translated in English language.

Menu

On the other side, it was the beverage menu. We noticed that most of their customers seems to be regulars as they did not need a menu and ordered on the spot. It was fairly easy ordering as they had many staff who were able to multitask. You could order through anyone (e.g. the person who is clearing or serving the food.

The condiments (chilli sauce, fish sauce, pepper) on every table.

Daily Homemade Passion Fruit with Ice (Chanh dây) 25,000 VND (S$1.50)

This was the Daily Homemade Passion Fruit with Ice (Chanh dây) 25,000 VND (S$1.50).

Baguette (Bánh Mì), Salad, Cucumber and carrot mixed with olive oil (Món Chua), French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 

Although the restaurant was full, shortly after we ordered, these [Baguette (Bánh Mì), Cucumber and carrot mixed with olive oil (Món Chua), French Fries (Khoai tây chiên)] were served at our table!

The Baguette (Bánh Mì) and Salad were complimentary dishes. The Baguette deserves a mention. It was very well executed and it was so good that we requested for more after our main dishes came! (You can request for unlimited replenishment of Baguette)

French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 15,000 VND (S$0.90)

We ordered French Fries (Khoai tây chiên) 15,000 VND (S$0.90) for sharing. Although it was average, this was a good side dish was soaking up all the sauce in the hotplate of meat!

Ostrich Steak (Bít tết Đà Điểu) 90,000 VND (S$5.40)

The partner ordered the Ostrich Steak (Bít tết Đà Điểu) 90,000 VND (S$5.40) which was served with a sunny side up egg on a hotplate.

Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) 60,000 VND (S$3.60)

I ordered the Nam Son Specialty Combination of Steak, Sunny Side Up Egg, Meatball and Pate (Beefsteak Thập Cẩm) 60,000 VND (S$3.60) which was also served on a sizzling hotplate which splattered the oil and sauces out. The serving was generous as the cut of the meat was fairly large. We followed what the local did and shredded our Baguette into small pieces and dipped them into the sauces and also spread pate on it.

If you are wondering what pate is, it is actually minced pork liver.

Never underestimate the influence of western breakfast in Vietnam. It was so crowded when we visited and majority of the crowd was locals except for another foreign couple. Despite the crowd, the service was prompt and efficient! In addition, the food was unique. This is worth a visit if you are interested in trying what the locals eat.  

BeefSteak Nam Sơn (Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh)

200 Bis Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, 

District 1,  Ho Chi Minh

Tel: +84 (08) 3930 3917
Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 10pm

Website

BeefSteak Nam Sơn (another branch)
157 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia
District 3, Ho Chi Minh
Opening Hours: Daily 6am to 10pm

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Galerie Kebab (France, Paris)

We were still at Galeries Lafayette when it was dinner time. We decided to head back to the same street and try Galerie Kebab. 

Galerie Kebab is located along Rue Joubert; less than 5 minutes away from Galeries Lafayette. It is located just directly opposite Croque Saveur. Galerie Kebab is a restaurant specialising in Middle Eastern cuisine, to be more specific, Turkish cuisine. 

It is a small restaurant with limited sitting capacity with simple and no frills decoration. Ironically, their kitchen size took up a quarter of the total restaurant size. If they had made the kitchen smaller, they could sit even more customers.   

The food took a very long time to be served. As I was hungry, I decided to pop by the kitchen to see if I could find out the reason. Well, the meat skeers were cooked only upon order. I guess we Singaporeans are too used to our fast-paced lifestyle. I really should take things slow. Feels good to know that the food was freshly cooked, not heated up or cooked a second time. 

The staff were all Middle Easterns, not Europeans. They were friendly and always with a smile.

A quick look at the menu.

Luckily besides French, the menu had English translation at the bottom! Yeah! This makes it so much easier to decide what to order.

Thé Turc (Turkish Tea) 1 € (S$1.6)

We were not keen on ordering any drinks until we saw 'Thé Turc' which is in French, when translated to English, it means 'Turkish Tea'. We had no idea how Turkish Tea would tasted like. Hence we decided to order this.

The Turkish Tea was served in a very small cup. The height of the cup was almost the same as the packet of sugar you see in this photo. As for the taste, well... it tasted exactly like English Breakfast Tea! 

Brochettes De Poulet (Chicken Skeers) 9 € (S$14.1)

The partner ordered the Brochettes De Poulet (Chicken Skeers) which was served with salad, fries, wheat and chicken meat on metal skewers. This was well worth the wait. The chicken chunks on the metal skewers were cooked to perfection. So tender and juicy on the inside. On the outside, the it was crisp with some parts charred that provided a different texture and also a smokey fragrance. Heavenly! The wheat and fries complemented perfectly and were delish. Not oily too!

Do be careful as the metal skewers are hot.

Brochettes D'Agneau (Lambs' Skeers) 11 € (S$17.2)

I ordered the Brochettes D'Agneau (Lambs' Skeers) which was also served with salad, fries, wheat. The lamb was also cooked just right. The lamb skeers compared to the chicken skeers was slightly tougher. Nevertheless, the chef grasped the cooking time perfectly. Moreover, it was well marinated. What a great meal! 

Bread

The bread was served after we were halfway through our mains. It was hard and tough to chew. By then, we were too full and left the bread untouched.

Although the service tended to be on the slower end, the staff were friendly. Overall, the mains were well executed and it was an enjoyable meal.

Next post on Europe will be on Pierre Herme!

Galerie Kebab (France, Paris) 

8 Rue Joubert
75009 Paris 9
Île-de-France, France
Tel: +01 48 74 13 09
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 11am - 1030pm
Location

The locations are as follows:

A - Pierre Herme in Galeries Lafayette

B - Croque Saveur & Galerie Kebab
Blue area shows Galeries Lafayette

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Pastamania (Plaza Singapura)

Pastamania is probably one of the biggest Italian restaurant chain in Singapore. Currently, they have 48 outlets in 8 countries, 29 of which are in Singapore. They specialise in serving quick casual Italian food (pasta and pizza). 

I believe most of us here, would have patronise Pastamania before. I have patronise Pastamania when I was younger quite frequently. This recent visit to Pastamania is my first since a long long time (over a year). In terms of the environment, it is the same at all its outlets; the chairs, tables, walls, counter, tiles and lights. The standardisation is a good thing as I found the setting familiar despite not having patronise Pastamania for sometime.

Add on one of the Combo to make it a complete meal which allows you add different permutations of soup/ drink/garlic bread.

When ordering a pasta dish, there are 5 types to choose, mainly Penne, Fusilli, Linguine, Spaghetti or Wholemeal Spaghetti.

Clockwise from left: Garlic Bread, Minestrone Soup, Cream of Mushroom

I ordered my meal with Combo A  (Drink, Garlic Bread and Minestrone Soup) which cost an addition of $4.90. And also ordered a Cream of Mushroom soup.

Garlic Bread

The standard of the Garlic Bread seemed to have dropped drastically. It was served cold. Moreover, there was no garlic flavour which the buttery flavour did not cater to my taste bud.

Minestrone Soup

The Minestrone Soup full of ingredients was too sour.

Cream of Mushroom $2.40

Fortunately, the Cream of Mushroom fared better in comparison to the Minestrone Soup. In terms of thickness it was just nice and there were pieces of mushrooms in it. The only issue I have is that the flavour of mushroom was not sufficient. It was akin to a bowl of Campbell soup with mushrooms added in separately. 

Marinara $11.10

The Marinara which I always order when I patronise Pastamania, consisted of pasta (spaghetti) cooked with prawns, squid and clams in tomato herb sauce. Still my favourite. The squid was cooked well and it was not rubbery while the clam was fresh. The down side was that the prawn was not too fresh. Overall, still one of the better dishes at Pastamania.

Turkey Bacon Cheesy Crumble $7.80

Turkey Bacon Cheesy Crumble consisted of pasta (fusilli) cooked with turkey bacon in homemade cheese sauce topped with parmesan crumble. Somehow the ingredients such as turkey bacon seems to be lacking. It was plain and akin to eating pasta with cheese.

The dishes were served very quickly within less than 10 minutes after ordering. Their kitchen must have a very efficient system in place. Pastamania is halal certified. In terms of price, it is one of the more affordable place to have Italian cuisine. Food wise, I won't say that it was fantastic.

Pastamania (Plaza Singapura)
68 Orchard Road
#B2-07 Plaza Singapura
Tel: 6341 9871
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 10pm
Website
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