With a name like Chili’s, you can be sure that the food is sizzling hot and packed with flavour!

Chili’s Grill and Bar, the casual dining restaurant chain originating from Dallas opened in Singapore in 2009, its 200th restaurant worldwide. It brings to town an expansive and diverse menu so diners can chow down on their signature fajitas, American favourites such as ribs and burgers, and Tex-Mex cuisine, while sipping on one of their margaritas.

The decor is Southwestern-America style and the atmosphere is vibrant and lively, with ample booth seats, a bar and flat screen TVs showing sports. As part of its tradition, every Chili’s restaurant also sports a single upside down photo. We try to eye-hunt it down whilst waiting for our food, but once the piping hot dishes arrive, we dive in and give up on the photo hunting. If you do find it, let us know!

Margarita grilled chicken
S$14.90++
Rating:

I am particularly excited to try the margarita grilled chicken, because it looks every bit like one of those colourful Tex-Mex dishes with refried beans and Pico de gallo I fell in love with during my last trip to Dallas. I have been trying to locate decent Mexican or Tex-Mex food in Singapore ever since and haven’t found any. Swensen’s did try once but flopped.

The slab of chicken breast is seasoned with margarita mix and grilled. This is served atop rice with crispy tortilla strips on a bed of black beans, and topped with Pico de gallo. I think there is supposed to be tequila in it but I haven’t tasted any.

A Mexican expatriate once told me there is no such thing as good Mexican or Tex-Mex food in Singapore. For a long time I had to agree with him. Well, Chili’s does not disappoint and this is by far the best taste I’ve had of Tex-Mex cuisine in a long while.

Chicken Crispers
S$19.90++
Rating:

Right off the chicken menu comes the Crispers. These are chunky strips of hand-battered chicken, served with sweet corn on the cob, a large portion of fries, and honey-mustard dressing. The chicken is tender, but pretty plain on its own. So do make full use of the dip, which is delicious and adds a lot of flavour.

For extra crispy and spicy Crispers, go for the honey-chipotle variety that is tossed in a spicy sauce.

The chocolate molten cake is highly recommended. This is similar to my favourite dessert, the chocolate lava cake. It is warm chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream, with a core of warm chocolate fudge filling.

On a return visit, I am definitely having a fajita and a margarita!

Chili’s
Tanglin Mall
163 Tanglin Road #02-23
Singapore 247933
Tel: +65 6733 3317 | Website
Service:

Bus services: 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174, NR8, 174E
Nearest MRT: Orchard

Opening hours:
11am – 10pm (Sun – Thurs)
11am – 11pm (Fri – Sat)

View menu

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Looking at the Christmas decorations, I would never have guessed that they are made from recycled materials! The innovative creation involves months of effort where staff went around collecting coconut husks, parking coupons, lottery tickets and fruit wrappers to churn them into beautiful works of festive art.

The hard work paid off as the mall wins this year’s Best Dressed Building title, beating out ten other competitors in Orchard Road including Orchard Central, Paragon, Ngee Ann City and The Heeren.

Photo by chooyutshing

This is not the first time that the mall has gone green. Last year, their tree was made with shredded plastic bottles.

Photo by chooyutshing

One big draw every year is the simulated snow storm. The snow may not be the real thing, but that does not stop the crowd from covering themselves in bubbles and engaging in snowball fights every night the snow falls!

Photo by muzikbug

Hope you enjoyed this year’s Christmas Tree of the Day series. Merry Christmas!

For more Christmas trees, check out the Sparklette Christmas Tree of the Day series.

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Whether you prefer the raw taste of sashimi, the soupy sukiyaki (steamboat) or the meatier tonkatsu, there is certainly no shortage of dishes to pick from. But it wouldn’t be Tetsu if they didn’t throw in a few surprises along the way.

Here’s one brand new dish that I find particularly exciting. Can you tell what it is? Let’s venture a few guesses before looking at the answer!

(hint: it’s a kind of fish.)

Fugu Mirin Boshi (dried puffer fish)
S$10++
Rating:

Why, it’s the puffer fish! Did you get it? If you wanna get a taste of this exotic fish, this is one of the few restaurants in Singapore where you can find it.

For someone having puffer fish for the first time, I do feel a mixture of worry and tingling excitement. You hear stories of puffer fish food poisoning, so eating this is kind of like a mini adventure in its own right.

The fish is dried and cut in longish strips. It tastes wonderful (and rather unexpectedly so too!), sort of like a less stiff and dry version of bak kwa (sweetened barbecued pork). This is one of those novelty foods that actually tastes good!

Kawa Ebi Karaage (deep-fried river shrimps)
S$8++
Rating:

These teeny shrimps make a fun crunchy snack. In Japan, they are also sold in the form of packet-sized titbits for people to munch on! Personally I’m not a huge fan of tiny, dry shrimps. I prefer them to be plump and juicy, so that you can get the full-on prawn flavour!

Renkon chips (deep-fried lotus root)
S$4++
Rating:

Another “snack” that I do love are the renkon chips. These are lotus roots, skilfully sliced and fried at a precise temperature so that each chip is perfectly thin, crispy and fragrant. The experience can be likened to eating potato crisps. I enjoy it!

Fish Hire (breaded fish fillet)
S$14.50++
Rating:

The breaded pork loin, pork fillet and shrimp have long established themselves as crowd favourites. Now, the restaurant has introduced yet another option — breaded fish fillet. Covered in the same trademark light breading, the fish is swimmingly good! I award bonus points for the absence of fishy stench too.

Cheese Katsu roll (breaded pork roll with cheese, carrot & asparagus)
S$16.50++
Rating:

The unusual marriage of pork, melted cheese, carrot and asparagus form the basis for these colourful rolls. This is one of the few items that I find less impressive. The cheese doesn’t seem to add much. On the whole, I feel that the mishmash combination of ingredients just does not gel.

Hire Katsu Sando (breaded pork loin sandwich)
S$5.80 each++
Rating:

One thing that I certainly haven’t expected to find on the menu is a burger. And this breaded pork loin sandwich has already won over many fans, in particular the busy corporate types who can only find time for takeouts.

Each burger comes with a full slab of juicy pork loin that is simply bursting with flavour! It has none of that minced meat crap too. What you would find is a tender cut of pork that is deep-fried in a breading made from a secret recipe. It’s simply mouthwatering!

Katsu curry rice (with breaded pork, chicken or shrimp)
S$16.50++
Rating:

I have wondered for a long time why there is no curry on the menu. Now that they have finally introduced it, I can only assume that chef ken has been busy perfecting his curry recipe.

Perfected, it is. I am very fussy about my curry; it has to be rich, gravy-like and flavoursome. The curry here fits the criteria — slide-down-the-throat smooth, fragrant, with a slight hint of sweetness too.

Unagi (freshwater eel) Maki
S$8++
Rating:

Mmm… unagi (said in the tone of rachel from friends)! It comes in the form of maki sushi rolls, beautifully presented, with the rice lightly laced with vinegar. I love this almost as much as I love the dragon roll. The dark sweet sauce makes it taste heavenly!

Yaki Niku (beef tenderloin)
S$16++
Rating:

The best dish of all has to be the succulent prime beef tenderloin. Painstakingly hand-grilled to perfection, this is the tenderest and juiciest beef you would find, soaked in the most amazing yaki niku sauce. If I could pick just one dish to have at Tetsu, this would be it.

Yuzu ice cream on strawberry sherbet
S$5.80++
Rating:

A new addition to the desserts menu is the yuzu ice cream on strawberry sherbet. The ice cream flavour is mostly sour, with a tinge of tangerine, grapefruit and pine. Hmm… I prefer my desserts to be sweet though.

Gindara Sukiyaki (codfish in steamboat)
Rating:

Besides trying out the new menu, jason, the manager, also brought us some familiar dishes. The codfish steamboat is an old favourite that warms you from within. And it comes with the plump and juicy prawns that I love!

As always, ken loves to work his creative juices and concoct some complimentary dishes for his customers. Most of the time these are not available on the menu.

Pumpkin with sea urchin, crab stick, scallop & salmon roe
Not on menu
Rating:

This attractive-looking dish is made up of a really filling pumpkin base, topped with sea urchin and salmon roe. The round base is covered with red and white crab stick, with a full scallop at its centre. Nice!

Steamed silverfish
Not on menu
Rating:

Cutely presented in the shape of a house is the steamed silverfish. It is lightly-flavoured and yummy. I would consider it to be more of a Chinese menu item.

Goma (black sesame) ice cream
Not on menu
Rating:

Of course, every visit to Tetsu should end with a yummy scoop of black sesame ice cream! That’s my favourite dessert here and I must have it every single time :)

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A huge Christmas tree forms the centrepiece of the snow party. This year, the tree carries with it an important message: people with disabilities deserve a chance in society, just as if used plastic bottles were given a chance, they can be used to create something beautiful. Like this cute Christmas tree!

Photo by Agnieszka Qetton

This 12 metre tall tree is the result of the Christmas tree of life 2008, a project that aims to create awareness of people with disabilities.

The ornaments are constructed from thousands of used plastic bottles.

The little reindeer looks like he’s been made from recycled materials too. This isn’t the first time that seemingly useless junk has resurfaced at Christmas. The nanyang academy of fine arts students transformed them into beautiful Christmas trees last year.

Photo by chooyutshing

When the first snow falls, that’s when the magic begins. Notice that once the snow foam party starts, the lights on the lower portion of the tree go out. I asked around and the volunteers there said that this happens every night once the snow starts falling (short circuit or something)! It’s pretty hilarious :)

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Unlike many places that jack up the prices during this period, Tetsu is offering their festive set at a very attractive price. What’s more, the dishes included are the crowd favourites from the restaurant!

we first got to know of Tetsu back in October and loved the food and the ambience. This time round, we found ourselves enjoying the festive set thoroughly.

Kani tofu
Rating:

The first three items (swordfish tataki, kani tofu and sake namazuke) on the menu are presented on a single long platter. While we’re already familiar with most of the food here, the kani tofu carries a little twist. It has this grey creamy substance which we found was… Blended century egg! Talk about surprises! And it actually tastes good!

Sake Namazuke (Salmon with vinegar)
Rating:

The sake namazuke (salmon with vinegar) is new to us. Among the trio, this one is my favourite and really opens up the appetite for the rest of the meal.

Sashimi Moriwases
Rating:

Sashimi! The little floral presentation reminds me of dozo’s artful plating. This is the first of three successive main courses.

Gindara Sukiyaki (Codfish in Japanese steamboat)
Rating:

The second main course would be the gindara sukiyaki. As you can see, you get two ample-sized codfish slices in the paper pot. While the soup isn’t as flavourful as the crab sukiyaki we had before, the codfish more than makes it up!

Rosu Katsu with Ebi Katsu (Pork loin with breaded shrimp)
Rating:

Finally, the last main course is the best-selling pork loin katsu. It is extremely tender this time round. You get a small serving of it as well as the breaded shrimp. The shrimp is covered in the lightest breading you can imagine!

Served along with the tonkatsu is this mortar and pestle set. We used it to grind the roasted sesame seeds for mixing with our dark sauce.

Garlic fried rice
Rating:

By the time we got to this part of the meal, we were really full! But nothing would stop us from trying the fragrant garlic fried rice.

Goma (Black sesame) ice cream
Rating:

And of course, the awesome black sesame ice cream that’s made in-house. I liked it so much previously that I had to ask for two servings of it!

Plum wine
Rating:

As for the drinks we tried out the plum wine. But with every two festive sets ordered you can pop a bottle of piper heidsieck champagne at just $68 (slashed from the usual $138).

To summarise, here’s what you get for this $58 set menu:
- swordfish tataki
- kani tofu
- sake namazuke (salmon with vinegar)
- sashimi moriwases
- gindara sukiyaki (codfish in steamboat)
- rosu katsu with ebi katsu (pork loin with breaded shrimp)
- garlic fried rice
- goma (black sesame) ice cream

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© 2011 Sparklette.net

On first impression, the sleek and stylish zen look of the interior exudes the feel of a fine-dining restaurant. Fortunately over here, you would not have to pay fine-dining prices for fine food.

This being a food-tasting session on the house, my dinner partner and I kept an open mind with regard to the food that our hosts recommended. Thanks to head chef ken, there is often a twist that makes each dish unique. Our meal started off with mekajiki (swordfish) and seaweed presented on a longish white platter.

Swordfish Tataki
S$12 (for 3 pieces)++
Rating:

The swordfish is done tataki-style, a Japanese cooking method that sears the fish briefly over a hot flame. The surface of the fish is lightly charred, while the insides appear pinkish and raw. I worried that the unwelcome fishy stench would remain, but fortunately there was none.

Served in the citrus-based ponzu sauce with spicy radish on top, the generous slices of swordfish are very savoury and work wonders in opening up the appetite for what is to come.

Age Dashi (Fried) tofu
S$8++
Rating:

One traditional Japanese dish that I love is the age dashi (fried) tofu that is served in a delicate flavoured broth. It is not too unhealthy compared to other deep-fried food as tofu itself does not absorb oil. Tetsu’s rendition has a different creamy and milky smooth texture that is unlike others I have had. It does take some time to get used to, and I’m not sure if I like it as much.

Like the tataki, the cube of tofu also comes with spicy radish on top. This dash of creativity adds a new dimension to this dish.

Salmon Carpaccio
S$18++
Rating:

The salmon carpaccio is a 3-in-1 fusion dish. To many food critics, fusion food may be a dirty word. But for me personally, I don’t care about the authenticity as long as the food tastes good. Why do I say it’s 3-in-1? Because it’s really the Japanese salmon sashimi, prepared in the Italian carpaccio style, and served with French dressing. There you go!

As a big fan of salmon sashimi, I like the vastly different take on it in the carpaccio. The flavour combo of the vinaigrette, black pepper and garlic brings out the rich and fresh taste of the salmon perfectly. The dazzling display of colours doesn’t hurt too!

Dragon roll
S$18 (for 6 pieces)++
Rating:

maki time! We loved, loved, LOVED the dragon roll! Besides the fact that it looks cute (the head resembles a dragon, but the body reminds me of a furry caterpillar), it is also yummy! The succulent prawn flesh is juicy and very sweet-tasting too. Paired with Japanese mayo, this is easily our most favourite dish of the night. (and we haven’t even got to the main courses yet!)

Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki)
S$20++
Rating:

The crab sukiyaki (japanese steamboat) is served alongside straw mushrooms and various ingredients in a paper pot. After waiting 15 minutes for it to cook from a flame underneath, we savoured a flavoursome soup infused with the flavours of the snow crab.

Our main gripe is that there is too little of the luxurious crab meat, which comes in the form of two crab legs. In that regard, 20 bucks seems a little much. So it’s good that two of the multi-course kaiseki set meals ($45 and $55) include the crab sukiyaki.

Rosu Katsu (Pork loin)
S$24.50 (for the set)++
Rating:

The best-selling item on the menu is the rosu katsu (pork loin) set that is served with salad, pickles, steamed rice, miso soup and a dessert. The generous cut of pork and panko breadcrumbs used in the batter are specially imported from Japan.

Although the pork loin is meant to be the more tender and juicier of the two types of tonkatsu offered, the other being the leaner hire katsu (pork fillet), rather disappointingly, we found the meat to be extremely tough; I had much trouble biting in. Seriously, this tonkatsu is strictly for people with strong, healthy teeth!

One thing that did help a lot in alleviating the toughness is the thick layer of fat. Sure, it’s sinful and fattening obviously, it also felt good! But I was a little conscious and squeamish about the fatty layer though, and made a mental promise to myself that I would eat less for the rest of the meal (a promise I found I could not keep due to the many yummies that were to come!).

Oh, one more thing to add before I forget. The tonkatsu comes with karashi (japanese mustard), a thick black tonkatsu sauce (japanese worcestershire sauce) and a separate bowl of roasted sesame seeds. Our waitress offered to grind the sesame seeds for us with a pestle before mixing it into the tonkatsu sauce. I hear this is the authentic way of eating tonkatsu in Japan. Yet another unique twist comes in the form of a curry salt dip to lend some spice to the pork.

Cold udon
S$6.80++
Rating:

You can eat the tonkatsu with rice. But who wants plain rice when you can have slurp-icious udon, right? After visiting Japan, I realised I haven’t actually had a decent udon in Singapore. But that has changed now that I have had Tetsu’s udon. It’s as silky smooth and light as what I’ve had in Japan. And for good reason too — the udon is air-flown in from there!

Kushi-Tempura (Tempura served on skewers)
Dependent on set
Rating:

With so many Japanese restaurants on the market, Tetsu differentiates itself by offering kushi-style tempura (tempura served on skewers). Interestingly, the tempura comes with three different dips — Japanese mayo, green tea salt (!) and chilli sauce (!!!). One thing you wouldn’t find in Japan is chilli sauce (my friends that have moved to Japan sorely miss this), so this is no doubt to suit local palates.

My favourite tempura is the plump and crunchy tiger prawn, with a light and crusty batter that doesn’t feel oily at all. Nice!

Grilled codfish
Not on menu
Rating:

Thanks to the generous hospitality of manager jason and chef ken, we got to sample a few extras that were not on the menu then. The codfish is very good, grilled in a delicious dark sauce that tastes sweet like teriyaki sauce.

Pork balls
Not on menu
Rating:

It’s nearing the end of the meal. On hearing that we’re so stuffed from all the good food that we couldn’t possibly eat anymore, ken looked a little… Shall I say disappointed? This is one guy that loves cooking and is really proud of his food! Determined to let us sample more of his cooking prowess, he brought us these pork balls in fancy porcelain containers. For the past two days he had left them to marinade in the thick sauce.

I’m glad we got to try these exclusive items. The sauce was sticky and surprisingly sweet. This time round, the pork was extremely tender and flavoursome. Because of the sweetness and softness, it was almost like enjoying a nice dessert to round off the meal.

Goma (Black sesame) ice cream
Not on menu
Rating:

For desserts, jason recommended the goma (black sesame) ice cream. It comes in a shade of pale grey with little dark specks, and looks almost exactly like cookies and cream, except with a glorious black sesame taste. I have never seen this ice cream flavour in a shade other than dark grey, so this is surprising. I liked it so much, I requested for one more scoop! That put a perfect ending to this wonderful food-tasting session.

While one unique aspect of the restaurant is that you can sit at the bar counter to watch the chefs whip up your tempura, we preferred the more comfy and cushy seats by the windows.

Photo by Tetsu

The restaurant’s sleek interior can be attributed to the same Japanese architect that designed the stylish sun with moon Japanese dining & café. There is a very zen feel to it, with the dark wood, vanilla walls and spaciousness creating a cosy and relaxed dining environment.

On a Friday evening, the restaurant stands out as the only sign of life in the quiet mall. It is a great place for small groups to hang out comfortably and enjoy nice Japanese cuisine. Don’t be surprised if ken decides to whip up a few surprises along the way. Chances are, they would be excellent.

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Alaskan crab
Rating:

One of the first things I sampled was the Alaskan crab. The crab meat had the sweetest, richest and most succulent flavour! I am no crab expert, and found it hard to believe that this was the natural flavour of the crab. Whoa!

Lobster (with Alaskan crab legs)
Rating:

The lobster paled in comparison. Its flesh was totally bland! On a scale of 1 to 10 its flavour was a 0; there was no taste to it at all! Again, I am no lobster expert. But isn’t the lobster supposedly king of shellfish?

Salmon sashimi & crab claw
Rating:

Of course there were the usual fares like sushi and sashimi. I stuffed myself with heaps of salmon sashimi, my absolute favourite! One of the unique offerings at Cafébiz is their lok-lok (dip-dip) station with sticks of raw food such as crab claws, prawns and chicken meat. To accompany the lok-lok, there is a huge array of sauces such satay gravy and sambal belachan (fermented ground shrimp). Yum! No worries if you aren’t too adept at cooking. A chef stationed at the lok-lok booth would offer to cook it for you in soup and serve it at your table. Great service!

Another example of great service was when I asked for teriyaki sauce. Being a picky eater, I always, always ask for teriyaki sauce when eating Japanese food. But they did not have it, which was rather unusual for an Asian buffet restaurant. So, the waiter got the chef to MAKE the teriyaki sauce from scratch. Wow! I could not be more impressed!

Dim Sum
Rating:

There were very few offerings of dim sum however. I tried the crystal dumpling and prawn dumpling which were not so good in comparison to those at dim sum eateries. But the chicken bun that had been slightly baked was a real treat! If I wasn’t so stuffed already I would have downed a couple of those yummies.

What sets Cafébiz apart from other buffet restaurants is that it has several unusual offerings. Apart from the lok-lok as mentioned earlier, there is also Churrasco, a South American specialty. A couple of waiters make their rounds with huge skewers of grilled food, stopping at each table to slice off chunks of meat onto the diners’ plates. We were offered sausages, chicken wings, and roast pineapple!

As if that’s not enough, Cafébiz also offers authentic la mian (hand-pulled noodles)! An in-house chef hailing from China is available to hand-make la mian upon request. He was rather enthused to “pull” some noodles for me but I had to decline as I was stuffed! He then offered to chop up a roast duck for me! But once again I declined and asked for a chicken drumstick instead.

Chinese chicken drumstick & Indian food
Rating:

Mom and I both agreed that the chicken drumstick was awesome! The meat was smooth, succulent and juicy. On the same platter is some tandoori chicken and other North Indian food. Those were prepared by an Indian chef and were delicious!

Clockwise from top left: Kung Pao chicken with cashew Nuts, fish fillet in pistachio Sauce, Moroccan chicken
Rating:

More unusual fares followed at the hot food station. There were dozens and dozens of delectables with names I have never heard of. Not being very adventurous, I tried out the safer options such as Kung Pao chicken with cashew nuts (very yummy), fish fillet cooked in pistachio sauce (an instant favourite) and Moroccan chicken that came together with some fruit in yellow stew. I can’t exactly remember for sure.

Fruit jelly in assorted flavours
Rating:

Desserts! Arranged in neat rows were these fruit jelly cocktails. They came in cute delicate glasses and had flavours such as lime, apple and mango. For me they sort of served as appetisers for the desserts that were about to follow. Appetisers before the real desserts, get it?

Strawberry, Chocolate & Coconut Ice Cream
Rating:

The ice cream counter was a very modern one. It had just eight flavours, but I really liked the fact that the ice cream was not too hard. I was able to scoop comfortably. You know how some places serve ice cream that is so frozen you have to break a nail and a knuckle just to get a scoopful? Over here the temperature is set just about right. Also, when you place the metal scoop back in its holder, there is some sort of suction mechanism that automatically cleans it instantly. Wow!

Egg tarts, pandan cake, green tea cake & tiramisu
Rating:

And what’s a buffet without cake and tarts? I enjoyed the pandan cake and tiramisu. Thankfully they had been cut into very thin slices. Cafébiz must have anticipated that its diners would be too stuffed to polish off regular slices. I loved the prune pie most. It’s one of those pies that come in a big metallic platter and you scoop off the portion you want with a huge ladle. Then you have fun drenching it in vanilla syrup. And I absolutely love vanilla syrup!

And now, the grand finale. Are you ready for this?

Chocolate fountain
Rating:

Ta-da! A five-tier chocolate fountain! How glorious it looked! The chocolate was absolutely heavenly!

Dipping foods to go along with chocolate fountain
Rating:

There were the usual dipping foods like fruits, marshmallows and hard biscuits. I didn’t exactly care for those fruits. As with chocolate fondues, I like my chocolate with marshmallows! And boy did I love it! I stood there by the fountain, skewer in hand, and helped myself to all the chocolatey goodness. For that moment in time I was in chocolate heaven. Warm chocolate in my mouth. Warm chocolate everywhere. I didn’t even notice I was dripping chocolate all over the place until a waiter helpfully pushed a plate beneath my chin.

Orange juice
S$9+++
Rating:

Finally it was all over. A tall glass of orange juice to cleanse my palate and aid in the digestion, and we’re all set! That was the most wonderful meal I’ve had in a long, long time. And with such wonderful, five-star service, it certainly wouldn’t be my last visit to Cafébiz.

Cafébiz
Traders Hotel
1A Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249716
Tel: +65 6831 4374 | Website
Mon – Wed lunch buffet (12-3pm): S$39++
Mon – Wed dinner buffet (6.30pm): S$50++
Thu – Sun dinner buffet (6.30pm): S$55++
Buffet rating:
Service:

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

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• Tung Lok Seafood – Eat to Your Heart’s Content at the Ala Carte Buffet
  5,432
• Ellenborough Market Café at Swissôtel Merchant Court – Up for Crabs Buffet
  9,178

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