http://sparklette.net/food/xin-wang-hong-kong-cafe-fun-menu/ http://sparklette.net/food/xin-wang-hong-kong-cafe-fun-menu/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:16:27 +0000 Melissa Koh http://sparklette.net/?p=1296
Xin Wang Hong Kong Café at Marina Square

Xin Wang Hong Kong Café has introduced a new menu for a limited period. If you visit any of the Xin Wang restaurants from now until the end of March, you would notice the fun new dishes.

The eye-catching menu boasts colourful visuals and cute illustrations that will whet your appetite before you even start your meal!

All dishes have been given creative Chinese names. For example, the chicken cutlet rice is named 鸡 ‘怕’ 饭 (literally meaning the chicken is afraid of the rice), a play on the original Chinese name 鸡扒饭. These puns will amuse those who are proficient in the Mandarin language.

Beverage

Orange float
S$4.90++

To complement the fun theme, the new orange float is composed of a fizzy orange soda with a playful scattering of sweet mandarin orange slices. A scoop of vanilla ice cream provides the final touch. The fresh and juicy orange slices add a zesty punch that cuts the richness of the ice cream.

Soups

Xin Wang Hong Kong Café now offers 2 soups.

Lotus peanut soup
S$6.90++

The homely lotus peanut soup comprises sliced lotus, peanuts, chicken feet, wolfberry and tender pieces of chicken meat. It is slightly murky with a full-on flavour.

Watercress soup
S$6.90++

The watercress soup is clear yet flavourful, and similarly comes with chicken feet, wolfberry and a generous portion of chicken meat. This healthy soup is light on the palate with a distinctive homely flavour.

Mains

As for the mains, one of which that impresses is the chicken cutlet butter rice.

Chicken cutlet butter rice
S$8.90++

The butter rice is fragrant, soft and moist without being mushy. Though deep fried, the crusty chicken cutlet isn’t overly greasy. You may be surprised that it can be so tender on the inside, while remaining crispy till the very last bite. The scrumptious chicken hardly needs a condiment, but if you need one, it comes with a sweet sauce.

Another new rice dish is the fermented pork with rice (S$8.90) that is dressed with curry gravy. The curry is thick and rich without being too cloying. I even tried pairing the gravy with the chicken cutlet rice and the result was amazing!

Spicy chicken hot pot rice
S$7.90++

If you’re looking for a kick, the spicy chicken hot pot rice will stimulate your taste buds. Served in a claypot, the chicken is evenly cooked and well-coated with a deliciously piquant sauce, commingled with a host of aromatics. Tender squares of deep-fried tofu can be found amidst the chicken chunks, nestled on a bed of rice.

Spicy beef beehoon soup
S$8.90++

The spicy beef beehoon soup includes a generous portion of beef slices and a pair of handmade beef balls. The dark clear broth is robust in flavour. Kissed gently with spices, it is just enough to invigorate the palate without being nose-searing hot.

The sizeable beef balls are so tender and toothsome, I wish we could order them as a separate dish; just the two sure aren’t enough to satisfy a craving! If the dish was available with the option of noodles instead of just rice vermicelli, it would probably appeal to a wider audience.

Seafood tofu with chilli crab sauce
S$11.90++

Notable ingredients in the seafood tofu with chilli crab sauce are the fish fillet, succulent prawns, squid and crabsticks. The large pieces of tofu have a texture similar to tau pok (fried tofu) — dry and chewy, rather than a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Due to its size, it does not inherit much flavour from the delicious sauce.

The chilli crab sauce, on the other hand, will get you hooked! An egg that is added into the sauce acts as a thickener while providing a smooth, velvety texture that syncs with the luscious sauce.

Friends Platter
S$23.80++

The Friends Platter is good for 2 to 3 to share. The crispy spring rolls with prawn filling are simply mouth-watering. The lightly battered fishballs with a roe filling within is a must-try!

Other components on the platter include jellyfish, abalone slices coated with a sweet dressing and clams topped with fish roe.

Dessert

Mango sago ‘n’ pomelo cream
S$6.20++

For desserts, the mango sago ‘n’ pomelo cream is a nice alternative to the usual carbohydrate-loaded dessert. Diced fresh mango is scattered atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sitting on a mango purée base. This portion is good for two to share.

While digging into the dessert, you will find soft and chewy sago balls that are larger than normal, and highly addictive!

If you get a craving late at night, Xin Wang Hong Kong Café is an ideal spot as most outlets open till late. With 16 outlets island-wide, you won’t have to travel far to grab a bite. Do head down and try the fun new menu while it lasts!

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 the new fun menu at Xin Wang Hong Kong Café? Share all your thoughts via Facebook or Twitter or by leaving a comment!

Xin Wang Hong Kong Café
- Anchorpoint #01-13/14
- Cathay Orchard Cineleisure #02-11
- Changi Airport Terminal 3 #04-02
- Coronation Shopping Plaza #01-04
- Heartland Mall
- ION Orchard #B2-16
- Marina Square #01-04
- Northpoint Shopping Centre #01-45/46/47/48
- Plaza Singapura #06-08/09/10
- Springvale @ Siglap #01-03A
- Sun Plaza #01-01
- Tiong Bahru Plaza #01-05/06
- United Square #02-02/05
- West Coast Plaza #B1-04
- White Sands Shopping Mall #01-14
- Yew Tee Point #01-17
Website

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• Events calendar of 6 malls

Each mall features a unique cuisine, namely

• Malaysian cuisine at Hougang Mall (3-12 June)
• Korean cuisine at Tampines 1 (6-15 June)
• Hong Kong cuisine at Tiong Bahru Plaza (10-19 June)
• Taiwanese cuisine at Century Square (17-26 June)
• Thai cuisine at White Sands (17-26 June)
• Japanese cuisine at Liang Court (17-26 June)

If you don’t have time to drop by the malls, you can join the festivities on Facebook. Vote for your favourite restaurants in the Best Food Awards on Facebook and you may win shopping vouchers.

Here on Sparklette, we would be covering a few of the activities in the upcoming weeks. Look out for the event features here!

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There are a couple of Arnold’s restaurants in Singapore, plus an additional “Express” outlet in Pasir Ris, which I suppose is for takeouts. We visit the City Plaza outlet which is packed to the brim with customers on a Saturday evening. They employ a system where you get a queue number and make your order first while waiting for a table. Not bad, we thought. Once a table’s available, we get our food soon after: a 2-person Combo meal comprising:

- 5 pieces of crispy fried chicken
- 2 buns
- French fries
- Regular coleslaw
- 2 regular soft drinks (top up 70 cents each for iced lemon tea)

Activity: What’s wrong with this picture?

2-person Combo meal
S$21.40
Rating:

With rather high expectations and a skeptical thought that this may simply be overhyped, I taste a piece of Arnold’s chicken for the first time. Immediately, I go “Whoa!” My partner arches his eyebrows at me, “Really?” before proceeding to taste it and give the same reaction.

The seasoning is perfect — flavoursome with a tinge of peppery spice. And the chicken is just tender and juicy, and freshly cooked to order. Yes, this IS yummier than Popeyes, thus deeming it better than KFC as well.

Coleslaw
Rating:

The fries and buns are average, and I still prefer Popeyes‘ Cajun fries. But the coleslaw deserves a special mention. In the Combo meal, they give a large bowl of it that we can never finish. It’s sweet and shredded very finely, and I like it better than the one at Wow Wow West.

If you have been following me around on Foursquare, you would see that I visited Arnold’s a second time after that. This time round, we check out the newer outlet at Hougang Green Shopping Mall, which is bigger than the one at City Plaza (above). The chicken tastes even better than before!

So what do you think? Do you agree with our verdict that Arnold’s is the place to get the best fried chicken in Singapore, or is there some other place we have yet to uncover? Share with us in the comments!

Arnold’s Fried Chicken ( Halal certified)
Delivery: Tel: +65 6276 6537 (6-ARNOLDS) | Website

City Plaza outlet

Hougang outlet

Pasir Ris outlet

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The Manhattan Fish Market is running a 1-for-1 deal for its Lob-Xi Fatt Cai seafood meal. Who doesn’t like 1-for-1 dealies right? Each platter includes a half lobster and fried calamari rings amongst other goodies. Don’t they look tantalising?

This promotion runs from now all the way ’til March 7, 2010 at their 8 restaurants. Check it out (click to enlarge):

You can also fish out 4 lucky numbers (Uh, where from?) and claim a sure-win prize! What fun!

Oh yes, they will be open on the first two days of Chinese New Year, too! Here’s our earlier review of The Manhattan Fish Market.

For those of you who might prefer something more traditional, we have just the right place for you to indulge in Chinese New Year food.

The Manhattan Fish Market ( Halal certified)
- Bedok Point
- The Central
- City Square Mall
- Iluma
- Junction 8
- Marina Square
- Northpoint
- Plaza Singapura
- White Sands
Website

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]]> 8 http://sparklette.net/food/popeyes/ http://sparklette.net/food/popeyes/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:50:43 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=864 Wanna feast on finger lickin’ good fried chicken? Well, you probably can’t get it at KFC these days. But I’ll tell you where you can. Popeyes!

No, not the spinach-eating cartoon character. Not exactly. I’m referring to Popeyes, the world’s second largest fast food chain specialising in chicken!

But hey, if we’re talking about food quality, Popeyes trumps its biggest competitor any day. Not only are the chicken and fries tastier and crispier, they are less oily, too.

3-piece chicken combo
S$9.80
Rating:

For the chicken flavours, you have the choice of New Orleans Spicy or Louisiana Mild. I haven’t had the chance to savour the buttermilk biscuits and mashed potatoes (they ran out), but I hear they are amazing!

Each time I eat the KFC fried or popcorn chicken, the breaded crispy skin is very thick and, frankly, not very crispy or appetising. After a while, I just feel like I am chewing on cardboard. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Popeyes’ chicken is different; the skin is light, crispy and simply a joy to eat. What’s more, it retains that amazing crispiness even long after I’ve taken a hundred photos of it!

Just as satisfying are the French fries. They remain surprisingly crunchy even towards the end of the meal, golden brown with the wonderful flavours of Cajun spices.

Seriously, nothing turns me off more than munching on soggy fries. There’s really no excuse when they’re already soggy when you’ve only *just* ordered them off the counter. That’s McDonald’s and KFC I’m talking about.

While the restaurant was originally named after the fictional detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the movie, the French connection, Popeye the sailor eventually became the main character fronting the marketing efforts.

That’s also why you get to watch old Popeye’s cartoons while digging in! Very classic :) after Disney Naturally closed down, this is one other cartoon-themed eatery where parents can bring their kids.

Interesting titbit: the late founder Al Copeland amusingly claimed that he named the restaurant “Popeyes” because he was “too poor” to afford an apostrophe. Haha :)

I wish there were more Popeyes restaurants in Singapore besides the ones at Changi Airport and Singapore Flyer. For many people that need a quick fix of fried chicken, they have no choice but to head to the more ubiquitous KFC.

Update: New outlets have opened! See below.

Better yet, throw in home delivery, too! I’m sure Popeye’s killer biceps can handle that.

Where do you go when you want to taste the best fried chicken in Singapore? Share with us in the comments!

Popeyes ( Halal certified)
- Ang Mo Kio Jubilee Entertainment Centre
- Bedok Point
- Century Square
- Downtown East
- ION Orchard
- Orchard Xchange
- Punggol East
- Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3
- Singapore Flyer
- Square 2
- The Cathay

Website

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I’ve been waiting a long while to say this: I’m finally going to Bangkok! By this time tomorrow I would be having a nice sumptuous dinner in the Land of Smiles, followed by some cheap drinks at a pub. This is a city I’m very fond of. It’s where I chose to make my first solo trip back in ’04. And now, no amount of chaos or riots would turn me off.

That’s why my last food review before the trip is reserved for Lerk Thai, my favourite Thai restaurant in Singapore. I think it’s rather fitting!

We have dinner at Lerk Thai almost every week and the few staples we would order are the fried kang kong with ever awesome belachan and the red curry chicken. But sometimes we do enjoy trying out a couple of new dishes, such as this deep fried fish.

Pla Naam Tok (deep fried fish fillet)
S$8.50++
Rating:

I like having something interesting to look at when I’m eating. So when a dish is beautifully presented or colourful, it’s already won me over. That’s why I love the colourful Mexican cuisine! It works the same way for this dish of deep fried fish fillet with Thai herbs, lime and chilli. But not only is it a kaleidoscope of colours, it’s a multitude of flavours too!

First of all, the fish is crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. It does not, thankfully, reek of that awful fishy stench, probably due to the robust sour sauce it is drenched in. Spice lovers would like this one — it is very hot! A dish that is spicy and sour like this really peps one up!

Gai Phad Bai Gra Phao (fried minced chicken with basil)
S$9++
Rating:

One dish that we have tried out recently and immediately promoted its status to a must-order is the fried minced chicken with basil leaves. Again, this is a dish that really tantalises the taste buds with a nice salty and highly addictive taste. It goes extremely well with white rice. Plus, it’s VERY fragrant. We always have to fight to finish the last bits of the chicken!

Gaeng Ped Whan Gai (red curry chicken)
S$9++
Rating:

And that’s the aforementioned red curry chicken. It’s here because it’s one spectacular curry dish that deserves a mention and a photo whenever the opportunity strikes. The curry is a delightful sweet flavour and makes you wanna drink it all up. That reminds me: I must try out the curries in Thailand during this trip!

With that, I’m off on my week-long trip to Thailand. I can’t wait to embark on this adventure to the Land of Smiles (once more)!

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More recently, I fell in love with the curry chicken at Xin Wang Hong Kong café. With an extensive menu offering various dishes at affordable prices, Xin Wang is one of the most popular chains of Hong Kong cafés that have sprung up in Singapore in recent years.

For the curry chicken, a crowd favourite, you can choose to have it either with rice, noodle or bread. While initially, I would go for rice, I soon learned that bread is a much better complement. It is the softest bread in the world with a lovely tinge of sweetness!

Curry Chicken with Bread
S$6.80/7.90++
Rating:

The curry is extremely rich and wonderfully fragrant, and not too salty at the same time. With a spiciness that is just about right, this dish is comfortable for most people. I find that the curry gravy is also thicker than most home-cooked curry, but doesn’t leave you feeling sick even after slurping down a whole bowl of it.

Then, it also comes with generous chunks of chicken with very tender meat that just taste oh-so-good. And let’s not forget the soft bread. The sweetness provides a great contrast to the curry.

At a recent visit to white sands pasir ris, I noticed that the outlet here sells the curry chicken two dollars cheaper than other outlets. Of course, the lower price means you get less of the curry goodness. The simmering curry is served in a white oval-shaped bowl here as opposed to a much larger black bowl elsewhere. I myself prefer the smaller portion, which is much more manageable.

You have to try it for yourself! Curry chicken + bread = :)

Luncheon Meat & Egg Ramen
S$7.90++
Rating:

In Hong Kong, noodles served with luncheon meat (spam), vegetable and a sunny-side up egg is a popular dish. Personally, this wouldn’t appeal to me. Xin wang also offers this, albeit at a rather costly price-tag, considering the simple ingredients used.

Here’s something interesting though. The restaurant actually makes its own luncheon meat from scratch after the ban of two major luncheon meat suppliers from China last August. Some customers say that it is almost similar to the original, with a firmer texture and more natural taste.

Fried Wanton
Complimentary with 2 main courses
Rating:

With the two main courses ordered above, our waitress sprang a little surprise by serving a complimentary plate of fried wanton with delicious mayonnaise. I think this freebie is available only at the white sands outlet; I haven’t encountered it anywhere else.

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
S$3.90++
Rating:

As if there aren’t enough goodies already, we also ordered some sticky glutinous rice for good measure. It’s wrapped in lotus leaf and served in a bamboo steamer. This one would fill you up in no time so I would discourage getting it if you are already having many other dishes.

Photo by Food Trails

Yin Yeung
S$2.90++
Rating:

A trip to any Hong Kong café simply wouldn’t be complete without a cup of yuan yang or yin yeung (in Cantonese). It’s a delightful mixture of tea and coffee, and you can choose to have it served hot or cold. I always prefer it hot.

If you have yet to check out Xin Wang, I can assure you you would definitely find something you like. After all, there are more than 200 food items to choose from!

One thing that always impresses me is the huge variety. Besides the conventional toast, noodle and rice dishes, there are also stuff that you wouldn’t expect to find in a Hong Kong café. In the mood for pasta? Sure! How about roti prata? No problem! (though I doubt they have Indian cooks to whip that up.)

Photo by Beezy

So tell me, do you have a favourite restaurant with a dish that just keeps you going back for more? I wanna hear all about it!

(Note: All photos in this post had been captured using my LG Viewty.)

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My year-long love affair with Old Town is the reason why when an outlet opened at Playground @ Big Splash in East Coast Park, I immediately added it to my list of must-visit places. Never mind the fact that I already have the instant coffee at home; I still felt an urgent need to check out the place!

Old Town originated from the town of Ipoh in 1958. While they are the biggest kopitiam (coffee shop) chain in Malaysia today with 82 outlets, this East Coast Park outlet marks only their first foray into Singapore.

And I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last.

The layout of the place looks pretty similar to most of the kopitiam chains that have sprung up in Singapore in recent years. There are the usual marble tables and wooden chairs, as well as coffee served in traditional cups printed with the all-too-familiar green designs.

A cosy lounge-like area and a few six-person booth seats separate this from the rest of the kopitiams, creating the slight ambience of a Western café. Having a sofa here may seem rather out of place, but I think most patrons would welcome the option.

An aged image of a busy street scene covers one side of the wall. This is the same photo featured in their logo. For all the hundreds of Old Town coffee sachets I have had, I had never realised that the little logo contains a street scene!

Besides the usual coffee and kaya (creamy coconut jam) toast, some other items you would find on the menu include chicken rendang (a recommended dish which I heard is superb), curry chicken rice, ice cream toast, as well as the rather intriguing “ice fire polo bun” and “coffee lava”.

But with our stomachs still working hard on what we had from our previous meal, we could only manage to down a few cups of coffee. That’s okay — it’s what we were there for anyway!

Update: On a follow-up visit, we ordered the chicken rendang, which at S$7.90++, isn’t exactly cheap for the skimpy portion you get. When we asked for an extra spoonful of chilli sauce, the staff (and their manager) told us it would cost S$0.50 more.

To add salt to the wound, there is that mandatory 10% service charge here even though we had to queue at the counter to make our payment when we patronised the Toa Payoh Hub outlet on two separate occasions. They don’t provide water too. After the subsequent disappointing experiences at Old Town, we have decided to never come back to this place.

Old Town White Coffee
S$1.60+
Rating:

The coffee comes with a foamy layer on top, which kind of resembles coffee tarik. It tastes a little different from the classic instant coffee that I’m accustomed to, but it is still as rich and fragrant. Old town fans would love this just the same.

The blend of specially roasted liberica, arabica and robusta coffee beans with small amounts of caramel is what contributes to the distinct taste and flavour of this underrated (in Singapore anyway) brew. More coffee lovers need to sample it!

After savouring the coffee, enamored patrons can also purchase it in-store and make their own Old Town coffee at home. (Hint: The 3-in-1′s can also be found at most supermarkets.)

Photo by Old Town White Coffee

Meanwhile, do excuse me while I go make a hot cup of Old Town white coffee!

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The Lerk Thai restaurant that I patronised was the branch at the new Changi Airport T3. Its smooth wooden facade sports a very zen look, meshing in well with the sleek and distinctive design of T3. White light glows warmly above and below the red, orange and green signage, creating a very nice ambience. And yes, T3 is the place where I spotted those beautiful glass panels.

Here are the dishes we ordered, including a couple of really awesome ones. Careful, it’s really hot stuff!

Fried prawn with red thick chilli sauce and fresh green pepper
S$12++
Rating:

As indicated by the red round icon, the spicy fried prawn dish is part of the Singapore Health Promotion Board’s Healthier Dining Program. This means that it is cooked in a healthier way with less oil, salt and sugar. Wouldn’t that make it plain and yucky, the way healthful food tend to be?

Not at all! This is easily the best dish on the table, with that thick and delicious chilli gravy. It does get unbearably spicy, hence the double chilli rating. Yet I couldn’t help slurping it all down by the spoonful because it’s just so addictive! Get ready loads of tissue paper before digging in. Spice lovers would totally fall in love with this dish!

Deep fried beancurd with sweet & spicy sauce
S$6++
Rating:

The deep fried beancurd looks really hot at first sight, drenched in all that sweet and spicy Thai chilli sauce that most of us are familiar with. But it’s actually not that spicy. The portion is rather ample and filling. So if you are thinking of sampling many dishes, you may want to leave this one out.

Fried Kang Kong with Belachan
S$6++
Rating:

For some greens, there’s the ever-popular fried kang kong with belachan. It’s pretty decent, and is one of the recommended items at the restaurant.

Deep fried crabmeat and minced chicken wrapped in beancurd skin
S$7.50++
Rating:

Deep fried crabmeat and minced chicken balls. On paper, this sounds really appetising and is what attracted me to order it in the first place. Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends. Despite being another recommended item, the dish is just very bland. The sour chilli sauce that comes along doesn’t do much for it. I can’t exactly taste the crabmeat too.

Gaeng Ped Whan Gai (red curry chicken)
S$9++
Rating:

Of course, a meal with me wouldn’t be complete without chicken, would it? Like the chilli prawn, the red curry chicken is also a dish worth returning for. One thing to note is that this isn’t anything like the conventional chicken curry that is popular among Singaporeans. For one, the chicken comes in the form of boneless slices, saving you the hassle of getting rid of the bones.

Also, the curry actually tastes sweet! This is probably the most unique curry I’ve ever had! Most people should find the spice level comfortable, and I would strongly recommend it for every table. Yup, that’s how much I like this!

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]]> 5 http://sparklette.net/food/sakura-buffet/ http://sparklette.net/food/sakura-buffet/#comments Tue, 08 Aug 2006 07:22:02 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=438 Over the weekend we tried out the Sakura buffet. The wide variety of food meant that we could really keep ourselves busy throughout the entire duration of the dinner buffet. Food items that we buried our faces in included oysters, sashimi, drunken prawns, shark fin soup, steaks and cheesecakes. With the exception of the Chinese dishes, I sampled a little of everything.

Dory Fish Teppanyaki
Rating:

The first thing I had was the dory fish teppanyaki. Along with other teppanyaki and barbecued dishes, the chef prepared it on the spot. Every table in the restaurant is assigned colourful tags labeled with the table number. These tags can then be used to queue for food which would be served at your table once it’s ready.

Anyway, the dory fish teppanyaki was a good choice. It had a lot of flavour and fared much better than the salmon teppanyaki, which turned out bland and stiff and was quite hard to swallow.

Salmon Teppanyaki
Rating:

Salmon Sashimi, Scallop & Mussel
Rating:

Fresh salmon sashimi was a much better option. A pity the salmon wasn’t too fresh. It flew off the shelf pretty quickly though and the staff had to keep replenishing it. The scallops and mussels were very fresh in comparison. I love those!

Shark Fin Soup
Rating:

There did not appear to be any miso soup. What I could find was shark fin and cream of mushroom soup. Had me a bowl of shark fin soup which was a little on the thin side but otherwise quite okay.

Chicken Satay
Rating:

Chicken satay was also barbecued on the spot, and served with peanut gravy already ladled over it. The chicken flesh was tender enough and the gravy was decent too.

Unagi Satay
Rating:

If you love unagi you would love it in the satay form. It had been nicely marinated and was juicy and savoury. The cook didn’t do a good job of barbequeing. It ended up being slightly burnt, which was a real shame.

Fried Stuff
Rating:

Stay away from the fried food section. There were chicken nuggets, chicken popcorn, breaded crab claws, breaded prawns, etc. On paper these sound yummy but the real deal was all oily. The moment I sank my teeth into a breaded prawn, oil came oozing out. Ugh!

Dim Sum
Rating:

I made a bad decision in eating the dim sum. They were rather bland and did a lot to fill me up. I felt quite stuffed after eating those.

Ice Cream
Rating:

The best part of the buffet had to be the dessert. For ice cream they had twelve different flavours. My favourite was the strawberry ripple — yummy and not too sweet at the same time. Strangely I couldn’t find a chocolate tub anywhere. The toppings of chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles and chopped nuts were a real delight! We had fun making our own sundaes.

They also had some of those strawberries with ice cream fillings. Is there a name for those things? They are getting pretty popular these days. I don’t really like strawberries, but those things sure are fun to eat. First you unwrap the clear plastic wrapper. Then you spend some time admiring the pretty fruit. You bite into it, and finally taste the first hint of ice cream.

Miniature Cakes
Rating:

Other than ice cream there was also a huge assortment of miniature cakes for dessert. That’s hands down my most favourite part! Just looking at those cute little cakes alone was enough eye candy! Each one looked so adorable, and there were so many of them! Marbled cheesecake, New York cheesecake, oreo cheesecake, peppermint, strawberry mousse, white chocolate lavender, chocolate eclair, etc. Yummy, yummy, yummy!

One major gripe I have with Sakura is that the plates were not properly cleaned. I had to search through stacks of supposedly clean plates to find one that didn’t have specks of food left behind! I didn’t really care to know what the previous user had eaten. So Sakura or Suki, if you’re reading this, please invest in better dishwashers!

Other than that, with the vast range of food available, this buffet really promises to cater to multiple tastes. With all the sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki, Chinese dishes, dim sum, good desserts, it probably wouldn’t be the last time I visit.

Sakura ( Halal certified)
Lunch 12noon – 2:30pm:
- S$21+ for adults
- S$18.90+ for senior citizens (60 years and above)
- S$11.90 for children (12 years and below)

Dinner 6pm – 9:30pm:
- S$25+ for adults
- S$18.90+ for senior citizens (60 years and above)
- S$11.90 for children (12 years and below)

Additional S$2 on Friday nights, weekends, eve of PH and PH
Additional S$2 for adults, S$1 for senior citizens and children at Dhoby Ghaut Green and Cairnhill Place outlets

Outlets:
- Admiralty Park, 31 Riverside Road, Tel: +(65) 6368 8197
- Cairnhill Place, 15 Cairnhill Road #02-01, Tel: +(65) 6735 8197
- Clementi Woods Park, 93A Clementi Road, Tel: +(65) 6474 8197
- Dhoby Ghaut Green, 10 Penang Road #01-02, Tel: +(65) 6334 8197
- Downtown East, 1 Pasir Ris Close #02-02, Tel: +(65) 6755 8197
- Jurong West Sports & Recreation Centre, 20 Jurong West Street 93 #02-06/07, Tel: +(65) 6899 8197
- Omni Theatre, 21 Jurong Town Hall Road, Tel: +(65) 6566 8197
- SAFRA Tampines, 1A Tampines St 92 #01-00, Tel: +(65) 6784 8197
- Shaw Plaza, 360 Balestier Road #04-01, Tel: +(65) 6736 8197
- Yio Chu Kang Stadium, 210 Ang Mo Kio Ave 9 #01-208, Tel: +(65) 6754 8197
Website

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Winner of “Best Value Buffet”
- Nominated for “Best Buffet”

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]]> 13 http://sparklette.net/food/daun-pandan-rice-dumpling/ http://sparklette.net/food/daun-pandan-rice-dumpling/#comments Tue, 04 Jul 2006 07:29:32 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=410 Even though the Dragon Boat Festival may be long over, rice dumplings still remain my favourite food at the moment. For the past one month or so I have been eating myself fat with all these dumplings — and I don’t even care! Over at my place it’s dumpling festival everyday.

Nonya Rice Dumplings
$1.40 each
Rating:

For the less informed, rice dumplings are cute little pyramids made of glutinous rice (a.k.a. sticky rice) and wrapped in dried bamboo or pandan leaves. Stuffed within the rice is a savoury filling that may be salted egg yolk, mushroom, chestnut, pork, chicken, etc.

My favourite is the Nonya variety that has a marinated minced pork filling. I find that the Daun Pandan Rice Dumpling chain sells the best dumplings in town. My dad buys a few of these each time. Seriously, their sweet pork filling is second to none.

Most days after work I am too exhausted to cook or even buy dinner. Each of these dumplings are amply portioned. They don’t even need to be prepared or cooked, just steamed. Perfect for filling an empty stomach!

Daun Pandan Rice Dumpling
- Bugis Junction #B1-K13
- IMM Building level 2
- Junction 8 Shopping Centre #B1-K3
- NEX Mall #03-K16
- Pearl’s Centre #01-20
- Rivervale Mall #01-K9
- Tampines Mall #B1-K15
- Tiong Bahru Plaza #B1-27
- White Sands #01-45

News updates

February 3, 2007: My list of Best (& Worst) Restaurants in Singapore for 2006
- Nominated for “Best Take-out”

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]]> 9 http://sparklette.net/food/lerk-thai/ http://sparklette.net/food/lerk-thai/#comments Fri, 12 May 2006 05:22:18 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/wordpress/?p=377 I was craving for Thai food just the other day, and managed to get my fix at Lerk Thai. Out of all the Thai restaurants I have eaten at, Lerk Thai seems to serve the most delicious food!

Thai Coffee
S$2++
Rating:

Had me a cup of Thai coffee, which was a-okay. In my opinion, the best coffee is still the ones sold at neighbourhood kopi tiam (coffee shop).

Fish Fillet with Special Exotic Thai Sauce
S$6.80++
Rating:

For the main course, I had the pla yang sod rab manow (pacific dory fish fillet) pan-fried in a special exotic Thai sauce. I had picked up some basic Thai language before, so I do know that pla means fish, but that’s the furthest I can get.

The dish came along with a very sour sauce. The fish itself wasn’t good. It was a little stiff, dry and possibly over-fried. Even the secret recipe sauce couldn’t save it.

Pineapple rice
S$4.80++
Rating:

The pineapple rice was darn good though! It came with egg, prawn, and pork floss! It was superb, especially with the floss.

Currently there are three branches of Lerk Thai on the island. I have provided the details of the Bugis village branch, which was the one I dined at.

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]]> 5 http://sparklette.net/food/the-manhattan-fish-market/ http://sparklette.net/food/the-manhattan-fish-market/#comments Sat, 06 May 2006 09:37:29 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/wordpress/?p=372 We had dinner yesterday at The Manhattan Fish Market, over at Plaza Singapura. The queue seemed never-ending and we wouldn’t have gotten in if not for our advanced reservation. Even whilst dining, we could see that the queue was growing outside with new people joining incessantly. Such was the draw of The Manhattan Fish Market!

I have been very curious about this place for some time. But as mentioned before, I have never dined there until now due to the fact that the queue is always so long! It was really great that I finally got the chance yesterday.

The origins of the restaurant seem quite peculiar to me. Over 180 years ago, the actual Manhattan Fish Market opened under the Brooklyn Bridge over at Manhattan. So eventually, restaurants were started, which I thought would be all over the United States. But surprise, surprise, the restaurants can be found only in Malaysia and Singapore. From the brisk business, I predict the Plaza Singapura outlet won’t be alone here for long. (Update in 2010: 8 outlets in Singapore and growing!)

Soup of the day was cream of mushroom soup, which was rather bland.

We ordered the Manhattan Flaming Platter for two, comprising deep fried fish fillet, calamari, oysters and prawns served with chips and garlic rice. It certainly did not disappoint. True to its name, it came in flames, literally, drawing curious stares from all those queuing outside.

Flaming Platter for Two
S$29.90++
Rating:

The platter was a huge serving even for two people. Unfortunately, most of the food was fries and garlic rice. The rice was delicious though, owing much to the garlic cream. I loved the prawns too, which were obviously very fresh. The fish fillet was fresh and tender too, but could have done better with more taste to it. The calamari and oysters were so-so.

Service was very prompt and efficient. The people who served us showed no signs of irritation or impatience despite our frequent requests (“Could you bring us garlic cream?” “Could we have chilli sauce?”) on a very busy evening. Our waitress in particular was super helpful and polite.

The decor of the place didn’t seem much at first. But if you look closely, you would find that they paid much attention to their wall hangings. I find this knotical weather guide really adorable.

Overall, I enjoyed the food and the service, and would love to go back there again. And I would be sure to make reservations to avoid the long lines.

The Manhattan Fish Market ( Halal certified)
- Bedok Point
- The Central
- City Square Mall
- Iluma
- Junction 8
- Marina Square
- Northpoint
- Plaza Singapura
- White Sands
Website

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