Sparklette Magazine » Holland Village

Barossa – All-You-Can-Eat Ribs by the Waterfront

Veron Ang — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:00:49 +0000

The Australian-inspired restaurant and bar Barossa has dished up a very tempting all-you-can-eat ribs promotion at Esplanade Mall. Vegetarians, you may want to give this a miss. We’re talking baby back ribs, lamb ribs and grilled pork in an eat-all-you-can feast that is a carnivore’s dream come true!

Barossa at Esplanade boasts a relaxed waterfront setting, with the staff engaging diners in friendly chatter. The alfresco dining area allows you to enjoy the light breeze that seemingly blows your troubles away. And if it doesn’t, there is always beer.

All-You-Can-Eat Ribs

All-you-can-eat ribs
S$45++
Every Thursday from 6pm

The all-you-can-eat ribs promotion takes place at Barossa once a week on Thursday evenings.

Braised lamb ribs

If you are fond of lamb, the braised lamb ribs exhibit just the right shade of pink. The meat is very tender, with my knife slicing through easily.

BBQ baby back ribs

The BBQ baby back ribs come smothered in a tantalising barbecue sauce that is so alive with flavour, it literally dances upon the tongue. The restaurant spends 4 to 6 hours making the sauce, reducing it to a thick concentration of flavours.

While these may not be the fleshiest ribs around (like Tony Roma’s but unlike Jerry’s BBQ), I eagerly ask for a second helping nonetheless; the painstakingly-made sauce is simply irresistible.

Grilled Kurobuta pork

For the time being, the grilled Kurobuta pork replaces the oven-roasted pork ribs on the menu due to some health concerns. It is one meaty chunk of white meat, mildly seasoned and great for making full use of the dips.

The ribs are partnered with four dips (from left): tomato jam, honey mustard, red wine sauce and lamb sauce. The tomato jam and honey mustard are certainly the most robust and delicious of the lot. I can’t help but drench all my meats (except for the BBQ ribs) in them.

To cleanse your palate, a selection of four non-meaty sides are served alongside the ribs (clockwise from top left): sautéed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables and potato gratin. But let’s face it; who’s really tucking into those when you have the succulent ribs right in front of you?

Barossa salad
S$13++

If you do really love the greens, the Barossa salad is a refreshing and healthful choice, a sweet mix of tomato, pine nut, walnut, bacon bits and avocado dressed in cranberry and mustard.

To wash down the ribs, beer is a perfectly acceptable beverage. You can top up S$10 for free-flowing Archipelago beer. Can’t seem to make up your mind on which beer to go for? Get the beer sampler set which has four types of beer in 30ml glasses: Belgian Wit, Summer Ale, Bohemian Lager and Irish Ale.

If you pride yourself on being a confirmed and committed carnivore, you definitely do not want to miss the all-you-can-eat ribs at Barossa Esplanade every Thursday. Just be sure to go there on an empty stomach.

Have Your Say!

What are the best dining destinations in Singapore for carnivores? Share with us in the comments!

Barossa
Website | Facebook

Opening hours:
Mon to Fri: Lunch 12noon – 3pm
Mon to Thu: Dinner 6pm – 1am
Fri: Dinner 6pm – 2am
Sat: 12noon – 2am
Sun: 12noon – 1am

Barossa Esplanade

Esplanade Mall
8 Raffles Avenue #01-11
Singapore 038981
Tel: +65 6534 5188
Service:

Barossa Holland Village

Holland Village
22 Lorong Mambong
Singapore 227681
Tel: +65 6468 4688

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Fosters, an English Rose Cafe – Possibly the Cheapest High Tea in Singapore

Veron Ang — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:44:54 +0000

If you are looking for a laid-back place to chill on a nice afternoon without putting a dent on your wallet, look no further than Fosters, an English Rose Cafe at the charming Holland Village. The homely café has a wonderful afternoon tea set that should keep your tummy happy and satisfied for hours.

Word has it that Fosters serves the cheapest high tea in Singapore! That being said, this isn’t the traditional high tea with mini cakes served on three-tiered racks, but a much simpler affair of baked pastries.

The Devonshire cream tea set provides you with a couple of scones, finger sandwiches and fruit cake.

Devonshire cream tea set
S$10.50++

3 – 6pm daily

Seen here are two sets combined on one plate. The best of the lot are the scones, freshly baked and served warm from the oven.

If you like, you can slather on butter, cream or the home-made strawberry jam that is most delicious.

Other than the scones, the fruit cake and finger sandwiches are not much to shout about. But at that price, who can complain?

To wash down the pastries, the afternoon tea set also includes a choice of tea or coffee.

While the alfresco area boasts an idyllic garden feel, you can choose to stay in in the air-conditioned dining area. The setting puts diners at ease with its relaxed, casual air, with armchairs, teddy bears and even Christmas lights as décor. This is a great place to enjoy a cosy meal with loved ones.

Have Your Say!

Know of any good places for afternoon tea in Singapore? Share with us in the comments!

Fosters, an English Rose Cafe
Holland Village
277 Holland Avenue
Singapore 278994
Tel: +65 6466 8939 | Website
Service:

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Swensen’s Shows Love for Cambodia with Palm Sugar Ice Cream

Veron Ang — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:00:04 +0000

Casual-dining restaurant chain Swensen’s now uses palm sugar in two of its ice cream flavours, chendol and palm fruit. By importing sugar from Cambodia, the company is helping to improve the livelihoods of and creating sustained employment for palm sugar farmers in Cambodia.

This is a nice thing that Swensen’s is doing. I visited Siem Reap a few years back and absolutely love the place. Tourists visit the laid-back town mainly to see the beautiful Angkor temples. The locals are friendly and honest, although there is a sad side.

At a tender age, many children have to take to the streets to sell wares to tourists. Amputees are a common sight. Despite not having much money, the Cambodians seem happy and content with life. If buying palm sugar would help these down-to-earth people in any way, I am all for it.

Palm fruit
S$7.90 a pint
Rating:

The imported palm sugar actually costs more than regular sugar. But the products are priced lower to encourage customers to buy them. For instance, the chendol and palm fruit ice cream are available at S$7.90 a pint, far cheaper than the S$10.80 for other flavours at Swensen’s. These iced desserts are healthful, delicious, and now have one heck of a background story.

Palm sugar is extracted from the sap of palm trees. To extract the sap, Cambodian men use long bamboo poles to climb tall trees, slash the flower buds, tie bamboo containers under the buds and leave them to collect the sap. Once collected, the Cambodian women then pour the sap into a huge pan, boil and stir it for several hours until it thickens to solid form.

Chendol
S$7.90 a pint
Rating:

The traditional South East Asian dessert drink chendol has been given an icy twist. The ice cream is made in a shade of light green, packed with green coconut jellies and red beans.

For those of you who need more “oomph”, these socially responsible flavours are also manifested in Swensen’s ice cream sundaes.

The Palm Paradise (S$6.90++) comprises scoops of palm fruit ice cream added with peaches, nata de coco and topped with palm sugar syrup and desiccated coconut.

The Chendol Delight (S$8.50++) comes served with bountiful scoops of chendol ice cream smothered in palm sugar syrup, served with a generous serving of red bean, chendol jelly and palm fruits.

It looks like Snowy the Cat has taken an interest in the ice cream.

As for me, I am content with tucking into the pints of palm sugar-made ice cream. The texture is creamy smooth and the taste is light yet delicious. Plus, there is that feel-good vibe from eating it, knowing that albeit small, it is an indirect way of helping the Khmer people. You can grab a pint or a sundae from any Swensen’s outlet.

Have Your Say!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Know any companies with socially responsible initiatives? Share with us in the comments!

Swensen’s ( )
- Bugis Junction
- Bukit Panjang Plaza
- Causeway Point Shopping Centre
- Changi Airport Terminal 2
- Chinatown Point
- Compass Point Shopping Centre
- Funan DigitaLife Mall
- Holland Village
- IMM BuildingBuilding
- ION Orchard
- Junction 8
- Jurong Point
- Marina Square
- Northpoint Shopping Centre
- Parkway Parade
- Plaza Singapura
- Suntec City Mall
- Tampines Mall
- Thomson Plaza
- Toa Payoh
- United Square Shopping Mall
- West Mall
Tel: +65 6788 8128

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http://sparklette.net/food/swensens-ice-cream/ | 6 comments

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Christmas Dining 2010: Swensen’s Party Packages and Ice Cream Log Cakes

Veron Ang — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:03:48 +0000

What’s Christmas without turkey and log cakes? Enjoy these traditional Christmas treats along with ham, lamb, salads and more in the Swensen’s Christmas party packages.

To aid you in your festive dining plans, I would be featuring a series of Christmas treats from various restaurants in Singapore over the next few weeks.

Tip: Receive even quicker updates by clicking the “Like” button on the Official Sparklette Facebook Page. Updates and photos are posted there even before they hit this website!

Jolly Season Party Package
S$168

The scrumptious Jolly Season Party Package is a feast for 12.

You get:
- 1 Turkey / Roasted beef / Leg of lamb
- 1 Ice cream log cake
- 2 Salads / Sides / Pastas
- 1 bottle of sparkling fruit juice (750ml)

Make Merry Party Package
S$148

A slightly cheaper option would be the Make Merry Party Package, also good for 12:
- 1 Honey baked ham / Meatloaf
- 1 Ice cream log cake
- 2 Salads / Sides / Pastas

Ice cream log cake
S$49

Swensen’s specialty ice cream log cakes are available in seven tantalising flavours:
- Cookie Carousel
- Chocolate Indulgence
- Cappuccino Raisins Fantasy
- Nutty Noel
- Berry Merry Christmas
- Durian Deluxe
- Chendol Jubilee

Each log cake is 1 kilogram and serves 10 to 12 people. Chocolate Indulgence in particular is made with the popular Sticky Chewy Chocolate ice cream, marshmallows and diced almonds.

Swensen’s party packages look well-together, filled with various goodies that one might expect at Christmas. I hope you find this Christmas Treats series useful!

Like the Sparklette Facebook Page to browse the entire Swensen’s Christmas collection 2010 and view all seven log cakes.

Have Your Say!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

How would you be spending this Christmas? Would it be an intimate meal with your loved ones at home? Or a fancy dinner at the coolest restaurant in town? Share with us in the comments!

Swensen’s
- Bugis Junction
- Bukit Panjang Plaza
- Causeway Point Shopping Centre
- Changi Airport Terminal 2
- Chinatown Point
- Compass Point Shopping Centre
- Funan DigitaLife Mall
- Holland Village
- IMM BuildingBuilding
- ION Orchard
- Junction 8
- Jurong Point
- Marina Square
- Northpoint Shopping Centre
- Parkway Parade
- Plaza Singapura
- Suntec City Mall
- Tampines Mall
- Thomson Plaza
- Toa Payoh
- United Square Shopping Mall
- West Mall

Earle Swensen’s
- Changi Airport Terminal 3
- VivoCity

Tel: +65 6788 8128 | Website

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http://sparklette.net/food/swensens-christmas-treats/ | 3 comments

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Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant – Can You Smell What the XO Is Cookin’?

Veron Ang — Mon, 31 May 2010 08:49:08 +0000

Liquor is not just for drinking these days. Marrying liquor or wine with food is a growing trend. There’s champagne chocolate, liquor cakes, and even martini ice cream!

Hawkers have also taken to adding XO cognac to soup, so much so that the XO fish head bee hoon (rice vermicelli) soup has become a dish that can stand on its own.

One place where you would find it is the Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant at a Holland Drive coffee shop (near Holland Village). If I’m not wrong, it occupies the former premises of Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun.

XO fish head bee hoon soup
S$7* (serves 2-3 persons)
Rating:

Although this dish has been around for some time, it’s only my first time sampling it. To be frank I initially thought that the XO is simply a gimmick and there wouldn’t really be much of the liquor. Many Chinese dishes have XO in their names to add that wow factor, but the only “XO” in them is XO sauce.

That is why when the big bowl of soup arrives reeking of the strong smell of cognac, I get so impressed! Does anyone know what is the brand of XO that they use? They have a bottle of Remy Martin on display, but something tells me that’s not it.

You can clearly smell and taste the XO!

The milky soup tastes just wonderful. It looks that they use quite a lot of the spirit. Even with that much soup, you can totally taste the XO, but without its bitterness. The only minus point is that the snakehead fish has way too many fine bones, and I happen to be terrified of choking on one.

(* I can’t remember the price of the soup. Sorry! My pathetic memory tells me it’s 7 bucks for a big bowl for two, but that just seems too… cheap, doesn’t it? Friend says it MIGHT have been $15. If anyone knows the price, please drop a note in the comments section. Thanks!)

Fried “five spices” prawn roll
S$8
Rating:

One dish that gets the perfect score is the fried “five spices” prawn roll. With the fragrant and succulent filling underneath a thin crisp skin, these deep fried rolls are just a pure delight to eat. Plus, they come with a wonderful sweet sauce dip that complement the taste. Very nice!

Have Your Say!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

What do you think of using liquor in cooking/baking? Does it enhance the dish? What food would you most like to see with a liquor twist? Share with us in the comments!

Ming Kitchen Seafood Restaurant
46 Holland Drive #01-359
Singapore 270046

Bus services: 32, 48, 74, 91, 145, 185, 191, 200, 74E
Nearest MRT: Buona Vista

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Swensen’s 1-for-1 Lunch Treats – Extended to March 2010!

Veron Ang — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:01:42 +0000

Update: The promotion has been extended indefinitely.

Good news! Swensen’s 1-for-1 weekday lunch promotion has been extended to end March 2010!

This wouldn’t be the first time that the casual dining restaurant chain has prolonged the ever-popular deal. Maybe they should make it permanent already!

From now ’til end March, you can enjoy this promotion at all Swensen’s restaurants between the lunch hours of 11am to 2pm.

Click to enlarge

Terms & Conditions:

Valid on weekdays (11am – 2pm) till 31 March 2010, excluding public holidays.
Valid for all food items (excluding desserts and drinks) from the ala carte menu.
Free food item will be of lower or equal value. Valid for dine-in only.
Not valid with other promotions, discounts, privileges and set meals.

This time round, they have included all their Wagyu beef dishes, too! Check out our review of some other dishes you can enjoy.

1-for-1 Ice Cream & Dessert Buffet

For all the sweet tooths, you may find their 1-for-1 ice cream and dessert buffet at the Ion Orchard outlet interesting. Go easy on the ice cream, mmm-kay?

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http://sparklette.net/food/swensens-1-for-1/ | 3 comments

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Swensen’s 1-for-1 Lunch Treats – Back by Popular Demand!

Veron Ang — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:01:38 +0000

Update: The promotion has been extended indefinitely.

Remember this one? Swensen’s 1-for-1 weekday lunch promotion is back!

From now ’til end February, you can enjoy this promotion at all Swensen’s restaurants between the lunch hours of 11am to 2pm.

Click to enlarge

Terms & Conditions:

Valid on weekdays (11am – 2pm) till 28 February 2010, excluding public holidays.
Valid for all food items (excluding desserts and drinks) from the ala carte menu.
Free food item will be of lower or equal value. Valid for dine-in only.
Not valid with other promotions, discounts, privileges and set meals.

I think it’s terrific that Swensen’s has brought back this promotion and made the food more affordable for everyone. During the last run, I had made full use of the promo to try out various dishes. If you’re already planning your next meal at Swensen’s, here are some of my recommendations as well as their menu.

1-for-1 Ice Cream & Dessert Buffet

Oh, by the way, they also have a 1-for-1 ice cream and dessert buffet at the Ion Orchard outlet. Wowza!

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/swensens-1-for-1-lunch-treats-2010/ | 4 comments

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Swensen’s 1-for-1 Lunch Treats

Veron Ang — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:11:34 +0000

Swensen’s is offering a 1-for-1 weekday lunch promotion from 11am to 2pm at all its restaurants. This promotion is certainly a great deal! So if I were you, I would check out their menu and start planning my next meal!

Click to enlarge

Terms & Conditions:

Valid on weekdays (11am – 2pm), excluding public holidays.
Valid for all food items (excluding desserts and drinks) from the ala carte menu.
Free food item will be of lower or equal value. Valid for dine-in only.
Not valid with other promotions, discounts, privileges, set meals and Executive Lunch.

I may not be a huge Swensen’s fan, but when I do dine there, I tend to have the rodeo wings as starters, and either the chicken baked rice or crayfish pasta as my main course. Is there any other dish that I should be trying out?

Dish recommendations

I followed some of your recommendations! Here are the reviews of the dishes I have tried.

BBQ chicken
S$14.50++
Rating:

Ever a fan of both chicken and barbecue sauce, it seems only natural to go for the BBQ chicken. By default this comes with potatoes and greens. Some people, myself included, would prefer it with just fries. So when you place your order, don’t be shy to indicate your preference.

The serving is ample, and the sauce is yummy too. I only wish they would be more generous with the sauce, because I would quickly run out of it a quarter way through the chicken. The chicken flesh itself is rather mildly-flavoured, so having more sauce would have been nice.

Tomato mussel stew
S$13.90++
Rating:

The tomato mussel stew is one dish that has replaced the crayfish pasta as my default Swensen’s order. Out of my 3 to 4 visits to Swensen’s over the past month, I ordered this every single time!

The shellfish are stewed in a succulent tomato sauce that is also packed with onions, peppers and mushrooms. Healthy stuff! True enough, this particular dish is part of the Singapore Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Dining Program! I always finish off by slurping up all the sauce. Yum!

Now, if you’re thinking, “no way is that going to fill my tummy”, the stew also comes with slices of toasted sourdough bread on the side. Great for dipping!

Once again, if you have more recommendations, I am all ears!

Ice Cream & Dessert Buffet

Like Swensen’s more for the desserts? Go for the ice cream and dessert buffet :)

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Pontian Wanton Mee – Me Wants Wanton Mee

Veron Ang — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:24:17 +0000

I’m not exactly a fan of noodle dishes. But recently, a colleague introduced me to the famous Pontian Wanton Mee and I was sold! Since then, we’ve been having this colourful dish at least once a week! wanton mee is a type of Chinese dish with noodles (mee) and dumplings (wanton).

The Pontian Wanton Mee stall has a long history dating back 60 years. They have a few branches all over Singapore at various hawker centres and food centres.

At lunchtime, there would always be a long queue forming in front of the stall for their handmade wanton mee. Yes, the dumplings are handmade. Even the mee itself is handmade. Check it out!

Wanton Mee (Noodle with Chinese Dumpling)
S$2.80 or $3.20
Rating:

Colourful! On the first taste, I was won over by the sweet and spicy sauce consisting of both chilli sauce and ketchup that lend it much flavour. The noodles are firm, springy and not the least bit soggy. In fact, the mee is so good, I think you can just have it alone! That might also explain why the other ingredients are always given in small portions…

…such as the deep-fried wanton. I do really like the wanton, but feel that they are really baby-sized. Bigger wanton would be far more satisfying!

There’s boiled wanton in the tasty soup too. Again, baby-sized, but yummy too.

The best way to eat this dish is to eat it really slowly, savouring the tasty sauce bit by bit. Heck, I’m gonna have it again tomorrow!

Pontian Wanton Mee
All outlets, including:
- Amoy Street Food Centre
- Bedok Central Hawker Centre
- Clementi Avenue 3 Food Centre
- Clementi West Market and Food Centre
- Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre
- Holland Village Food Centre
- Jurong Point Kopitiam
- Jurong West Food Centre
- Kang Kar Mall Kopitiam
- Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre
- Parkway Parade Treats Foodcourt
- Redhill Food Centre
- Tampines Round Market and Food Centre
- Tampines Mall Kopitiam

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/pontian-wanton-mee/ | 45 comments

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Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao – Return of the Xiao Long Bao

Veron Ang — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:45:11 +0000

This recent trip to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao at Great World City marks my second visit to this particular outlet. my previous experience there left me with a long lasting good impression — great food coupled with excellent service. So naturally I was happy to pop by once again for more dim sum goodies.

In a bid to increase returning customers, the restaurant introduces new dishes to their menu from time to time. They now have a pan fried version of their popular Shanghai pork dumpling. It even comes on a hot plate.

Pan Fried Shanghai Pork Dumpling in Hot Plate (铁板小笼包)
S$4.80++
Rating:

At $4.80 for four dumplings, it’s also a fraction more expensive than the original Shanghai pork dumpling that costs $3.60 for four. Taste-wise I couldn’t really pinpoint any difference between the two; they were both equally bland. It’s just the usual xiao long bao sans the soup. Other than the fact that it came with egg on a hot plate, there wasn’t any sign of this being a pan fried dish.

Beijing Pork Dumpling (北京水饺)
S$4.50++
Rating:

Obviously I’m not a huge fan of their Shanghai pork dumpling. As with previously, I very much prefer the Beijing pork dumpling. It had so much more flavour to its pork filling. It begs me to wonder whether the Crystal Jade chefs use any secret ingredient for their marinade. Oh those juicy dumplings. I love the way the yummy soup fills my mouth when I bite into one.

La Mian in Spicy & Sour Soup (酸辣汤拉面)
S$7.50++
Rating:

Ah… The best dish of the night had to be the la mian (hand-pulled noodles) — and I don’t even like noodles! The noodles were nice and chewy but it was the spicy and sour sauce that made the dish. It was spicy with a touch of tang, yet not too hot at the same time. So people who don’t take much chilli can eat this comfortably as well. The ample portion served ensured that we were kept full and satisfied.

Steamed Chicken in Sichuan Style (四川口水鸡)
S$7++
Rating:

The Sichuan steamed chicken was served… Cold. I didn’t notice this oddity until now. Did they steam it before cooling it? Or did they simply serve us the wrong dish? Come to think of it, the dish looked quite different from what was pictured on the menu. Nonetheless, I liked the tasty black sauce. It was very spicy and rich in flavour. But overall, this dish was hardly worth the seven bucks as the chicken portion was so small, with most of it being bone!

Longan Drink with White Fungi (龙眼雪耳糖水)
S$3++
Rating:

For drinks I highly recommend their home-made longan drink which is supremely refreshing and healthful. It also makes a good palate cleanser.

This marks yet another pleasant trip to Crystal Jade. One reason why I’ll keep returning is that the food is consistently good (this does not include C-Jade Express, which sucks). The service is excellent. What I hate most about any dining establishment is having to wait a long time to be served. When I step into a Crystal Jade restaurant I am assured of a pleasant experience with ever willing waitstaff. And good food of course.

Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao (翡翠拉面小笼包)
- Ngee Ann City #04-27, Tel: 6238 1661
- Jurong Point #03-18, Tel: 6790 2212
- Great World City #02-43, Tel: 6738 5595
- Suntec City Mall #B1-028, Tel: 6337 6678
- 241/241A Holland Avenue, Tel: 6463 0968
- 470 Toa Payoh Lorong 6 #01-70, Tel: 6397 2383
- Bugis Junction #B1-04A, Tel: 6339 6902 Fax: 6339 6903
Website

Operating hours: 11am – 10pm daily

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Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun – XO May Save It

Veron Ang — Wed, 24 May 2006 05:16:43 +0000

Ever since the ABC Market closed for revamp some time in 2005, it’s been quite a headache finding dinner in the neighbourhood. Most of the time my Mom and I go to Alexandra Village. Last night, we decided to pay the zi char (home-cooked fare) stall at Redhill Kafetien a visit.

The name of the stall is Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun. I believe it has a flagship stall at Holland Village. No prizes for guessing their house specialty. As usual, we ordered plain white rice with a chicken dish, a fish dish, and a vegetable dish.

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)
S$10
Rating:

The diced chicken wasn’t sweet enough. The sauce tasted a tad too salty and sour, although I liked that there was enough spice from the charred red chillies.

Sweet & Sour Fish (酸甜鱼)
S$10
Rating:

As for the fish dish, we actually ordered sambal fish. But what was served was in fact sweet and sour fish. Perhaps the chef ran out of sambal? Nonetheless, it was the best dish of the night so we had no major complaints. There were a couple of fish bones here and there though. I always have this fear of having a swallowed fish bone stuck in my throat.

Sambal Kang Kong (Chinese Kale) (三峇空心菜)
S$6
Rating:

This huge serving of vegetables was rather good. This says a lot coming from someone who rarely, if ever, eats vegetables. Vegetable dishes tend to get overcooked a lot. But this one was cooked just the right amount and was tasty enough.

We didn’t wait long for the food and it was a satisfying meal. But would I recommend this place to anyone? No. The food is way too pricey. They charge 50 cents per bowl of rice, and 50 cents per wet paper towel. The total bill for three dishes came up to $28 for two people, which is rather ridiculous. Nonetheless, for those willing to try this out, here are the details.

Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun
Redhill Kafetien
28 Jalan Bukit Merah Singapore 152028

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Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao – This Bao Packs a Punch!

Veron Ang — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:15:08 +0000

The Crystal Jade restaurants are so ubiquitous these days you can’t go to a popular shopping mall without seeing one. The chain is so popular it has even divided into different specialisations. There’s Crystal Jade Kitchen, Crystal Jade Palace, Crystal Jade Bakery, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Crystal Jade Shanghai Cuisine Hu Cui, etc. Recently, they have even gone Express! To think this was only my second time visiting any Crystal Jade outlet at all.

For drinks, we ordered their home-made longan drink, which came along with white fungi. It was a refreshing change from the usual lemon tea, and a very healthful drink at the same time.

Longan Drink with White Fungi (龙眼雪耳糖水)
S$3++
Rating:

There were so many food items on the menu that we had a really hard time deciding what we wanted; each one looked as yummy as the next! After much deliberation, we went with the following items.

Spicy & Sour Soup in Sichuan Style (四川酸辣汤)
S$6++
Rating:

When the Sichuan soup came, I was alarmed to find such a small portion for $6; barely enough for one! But it certainly didn’t disappoint. There was just the right amount of spiciness and the right amount of tang, a good complement to the milder xiao long bao (steamed pork dumpling) that we ordered. I guess anything that is cooked sichuan style can’t go wrong!

Shanghai Steamed Pork Dumpling (上海小笼包)
S$3.60++
Rating:

Despite it being the house specialty, I didn’t really like the Shanghai steamed pork dumpling that much. It was just okay for me. I did wonder how it was wrapped though, since it was extremely soupy on the inside.

Beijing Pork Dumpling (北京水饺)
S$4.50++
Rating:

The Beijing pork dumpling fared better. Less soupy than its Shanghainese counterpart, but more savoury overall. Oh yeah it’s a fraction cheaper too!

Sauteed Chicken in Spicy Sauce (宫保鸡丁)
S$10++
Rating:

The spicy chicken dish is a very popular dish at Chinese restaurants and hawker stalls. I have eaten the same dish at various places before, but this was the first time the chicken came along with cashew nuts! It was simply delightful!

The best part about the meal (besides the yumminess) was that we didn’t have to wait much. Even though Crystal Jade is quite notorious for always having long queues, we were there past 4pm and were ushered to a good window seat pretty quickly. Once placing our orders, the food came fast with minimal waiting time. This definitely won’t be the last time I visit Crystal Jade.

Operating hours: 11am – 10pm daily

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/crystal-jade-la-mian-xiao-long-bao/ | 16 comments

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