The first thing that strikes you about Queen & Mangosteen is probably its memorable name. So how did it come about? There is a legend about Queen Victoria offering a reward of 100 pounds to anyone who could deliver to her the fresh fruit. Also, did you know that the mangosteen is known as the queen of fruits?

Photo by Queen & Mangosteen

The next time you visit a British pub, don’t forget to check out its sign. You may notice that it is represented by pictures. In olden times, customers who were unable to read would recognise the establishments by these pictorial signs. That explains the prominence of the crown and the fruit in the logo!

Photo by Queen & Mangosteen

The interiors here are just as charming. Seating is a choice between the indoor dining area, and an alfresco area by the sea with a view of the Resorts World Sentosa.

Photo by Queen & Mangosteen

Apart from Queen, the other bars and restaurants along the same stretch, such as Brotzeit the German bar and Serenity the Spanish bar next door, also offer the same waterfront view.

Queen’s snapper fish & chips
SGD24++

Our main reason for coming here is to try out the much hyped Queen’s snapper fish and chips. The beer-battered fish is served with mesclun salad, a lemon wedge and tartar sauce. The twist lies in the sauce itself, which is yellow and curry-flavored! It is very tasty, and goes delightfully well with the fish and chips.

Without the unique curry tartar sauce, the dish is otherwise quite ordinary. At that price, it would be nice if they offer a bigger portion than just two rather skimpy pieces of fish. So for now, I still prefer Fish & Co‘s cheese-stuffed fish and chips.

Photo by Queen & Mangosteen

Still, I wouldn’t mind going back to Queen. The drinks are priced more reasonably than the food. With the lovely ambience and sea view, it is a wonderful place for chilling out.

Have Your Say!

What is your favorite place for fish and chips? Share with us below!

Queen & Mangosteen
VivoCity
1 Habourfront Walk #01-106/107
Singapore 098585
(65) 6376 9380 | Website
Service:

Opening hours:
Sun – Thu: 11am – 11pm
Fri, Sat & PH Eve: 11am – 1am

Posted by Veron in Food category | alfresco/outdoor dining, bar, beer, English, restobar, seafood, Vivocity, waterfront, Western

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While Korea isn’t exactly known for her coffee, our caffeine-loving population would certainly welcome an additional option to get a quick pick-me-up!

The ordering process is very much like your typical Starbucks and Coffee Bean, although prices are slightly cheaper.

Over here, they give you a disc-shaped pager that vibrates once your coffee is ready to be collected.

Cappuccino
SGD5.20

The cappuccino is pretty decent, with a nice, creamy froth that rides like silk on top of it. I like it unsweetened. Does anyone else drink cappuccino without sugar?

There is also some attempt at coffee art which, even if not perfect, is always appreciated.

Colorful cheery murals adorn the walls.

Getting a cuppa here is basically a fuss-free process. Next time round I’ll probably get some of that toasted pretzel to go along!

Have Your Say!

Have you visited Tom N Toms Coffee yet? Would you welcome new coffee chains or do you find that there are more than enough here already? Share with us below!

Posted by Veron in Food category | café, coffee, Far East Plaza, Korean, poll, Tanjong Pagar, Vivocity

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There’s Ajisen Ramen (from Kyushu), Botejyu Okonomiyaki (from Osaka) and Sapporo Curry Yoshimi (from Hokkaido). How convenient that diners can get to sample dishes from different areas in Japan!

I think Singaporeans are already very familiar with the ubiquitous Ajisen outlets. But the other two offer a very interesting deviation from your usual Japanese fares. I’m not sure if the 3-restaurants-in-1 concept is anything new, but I love it!

Let me start with the soup curry that hails from Hokkaido. Japanese curry usually comes in the form of a thick gravy. The soup curry, as its name suggests, is thin. It is also spicier and typically contains potatoes, carrots and other vegetables.

Yoshimi Fusion! Spicy Tom-yam soup curry
SGD14.80++

When ordering the soup curry, the waitress would prompt you for the level of spiciness — 1, 2 or 3 chilies. To play safe you can start with a 2. But those of you who are accustomed to eating spicy food can bravely go for the 3. It’s really not that hot.

For our soup, we had the spicy tom-yam curry. To be frank I was a little apprehensive about it as I’m simply not a fan of tom-yam. But fortunately, this fusion soup is delightfully seafood-sweet, and not that sour too. I drank every last drop of it. Yes, it was easily the most delicious dish of the meal!

If it wasn’t so pricey though, I would have awarded it all 5 drumsticks!

Pork Okonomiyaki
SGD11.80++

Doesn’t this look pretty? The sizzling Okonomiyaki is an Osaka-style pancake made of shredded cabbage. Okonomi means “favorite”, so you can select your favorite ingredient to go in the batter. We had ours with pork.

By the way, I watched the cooks at work to check out how they made the pretty design. It is easily done with a fork!

This is one dish that actually looks much better than it tastes. After a while, you get a little sick of eating all that soft cabbage batter. Maybe more of that dark sauce and mayonnaise on top would have helped. My suggestion is to make the serving smaller (and cheaper).

Seafood Yaki-Soba
SGD12.80++

The second item we tried from Osaka is the seafood Yaki-Soba, a noodle dish packed with squid, prawn, octopus and scallop. The noodles are stir-fried in a wonderful sweet-tasting sauce that I really love. What I didn’t love are the cabbage leaves. Can you tell I’m not a big fan of the greens?

Like most of the other restaurants at VivoCity, the Japanese gourmet town also offers waterfront dining. In fact the sea-facing side opens up completely (just like the nearby German bar) so even the people sitting indoor can feel the breeze. It’s pretty nice!

Japanese Gourmet Town
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #01-157/158
Singapore 098585
(65) 6224 9690
Service:

Bus services: 10, 30, 57, 61, 65, 80, 97, 100, 131, 143, 145, 166, 855
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront

Opening hours: 11:30am – 10pm daily

Posted by Veron in Food category | Japanese, Vivocity, waterfront

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This time round, they have kept standards high with this 101 feet tall Christmas tree that stands proudly at the rooftop. It shimmers with thousands of fairy lights, and can be seen from surrounding ships and even from Sentosa!

Even the sheltered walkway around the tree has been decorated with icicle lights. With cable cars in the background and the waterfront just a short distance away, the sight is totally mesmerising!

Photo by GenkiGenki

Favorite Christmas characters such as angels, reindeer and snowmen decorate the tree at midsection. It kinda reminds me of a carousel!

I love the words too — Christmas sparkles!

If this colorful tree isn’t sparkling enough for you, check out the jeweled tree at the mall’s main entrance. It’s made from Swarovski crystals!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Vivocity

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This time last year, I had a lot of fun doing the “Christmas Tree of the Day” blog series. It was so well-received that I’m gonna do it again! So, during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, I will feature 12 gorgeous and/or unusual Christmas trees that I’ve seen across Singapore — one for each day!

Here’s a dazzling start to this year’s series!

A Christmas tree made from sparkling Swarovski crystals! You really, really can’t beat that, not unless you have one made from diamonds… Hold on, Soo Kee Jewelry already did that last year.

Diamonds or not, this crystal tree might just be the most beautiful Christmas tree this time round.

It’s currently on display at the main entrance of VivoCity (with the actual Swarovski store just steps away too) for your viewing pleasure!

And if anyone is interested in having his or her very own crystal Christmas tree, you can grab a piece of it at Swarovski.

This cute little tree is made entirely from crystals, with light Siam crystals as the tree ornaments, and even a clear crystal pot! The little tree has a name too — Felix!

To be honest, I’m really excited about this series. Christmas always seems extra magical to me, and I’m thrilled to be doing something Christmasy on my blog. I hope you would enjoy it as much as I would!

Happy Swarox’mas!

December 19, 2007: this post has been Tomorrow-ed!

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Vivocity

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The place is decked out in black, with chandelier lights and beautiful spiral motifs decorating the walls (which also happen to be mirrors). The whole decor is very chic, which I find rather unusual for a Chinese restaurant. I like it very much!

And for now, tell me, are you ready for an 8-course meal?

Photo by NinjaHelloKitty

Crispy Duck Salad (香酥鸭沙)
SGD25++

The duck salad was a mixture of fruits, vegetables and slivers of duck meat. While I found the portion to be severely lacking for a $25 dish, the sweetness and sourness of the fruits complemented the taste of the duck very well. Still, this is one dish I would steer clear of due to its hefty price tag.

Stir-fried Sze Chuan Prawns with Dried Chili & Walnut
?++

A hot favorite among all of us at the table was the stir-fried sze chuan prawns. Rather than the conventional cashew nuts, the chef had tossed in walnuts instead. It worked! The result was heavenly. The tenderness of the prawns was a perfect contrast for the crunchy and crispy fried walnuts. I could find no fault with this dish. Everyone around the table was oohing and ahhing at the delightful taste of the walnuts!

Braised Soup with Assorted Meat & Fried Scallops
?++

What I did find somewhat puzzling was the braised soup. It was good and had a thick scallop taste. But I didn’t think there was any assorted meat in it despite what the menu stated; I only found strips of mushroom.

Gooseberry Beancurd Skin with Small Pak Choy (Chinese cabbage)
SGD12++

The gooseberry beancurd skin with small pak choy (chinese cabbage) was easily the most forgettable dish by any standard. Despite its nice and exotic-sounding name, it was in fact very bland and lacking in flavor. This dish looked pretty cheap to me.

Steamed Cod Fish with Garlic & Chili
SGD25++

Ahhh… Cod fish! That’s like my second most favorite fish in the world (after salmon). The portion of cod fish served was really generous. The soy sauce soupy base was really tasty too.

Crispy Chicken with Garlic Crisps (蒙古风沙鸡)
SGD18/$34++

When the crispy chicken was served, it looked pretty impressive especially with all that garlic crisps.

Hold on! Is that a chicken head at the bottom left corner of the dish? I just saw it whilst blogging this post! Argh! Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Right now it looks a little disturbing.

As it turned out, the chicken was nothing spectacular. I think the meat hadn’t been marinaded properly or something. It was tasteless!

Seafood Fried Rice with XO Sauce (酱海鲜炒饭)
SGD12/$18/$24++

The seafood fried rice with XO sauce was awesome! Wow, it was the most fragrant and flavorful thing ever. I didn’t know rice could taste so good. It must be the XO sauce at work!

It tasted even better with chopped green chili! Chomp, chomp. Yum, yum.

Signature Golden Flowing Custard Bun (招牌流沙包)
SGD4.80++

But! The most interesting and noteworthy dish had to be the dessert — bosses’ signature golden flowing custard bun! Now, that’s a real mouthful.

On the surface the buns looked plain, innocent and unassuming, perhaps even adorable. But upon piercing each bun with a fork, hot yellow paste flows out! Many diners were caught by surprise!

The yellow paste is a delightful mixture of salted egg yolk and sweet custard. Yummy! Susan hui, the restaurant manager, proudly declared that bosses is the only place in Singapore where this custard bun can be found!

Throughout the meal, there was constant free-flowing Chinese tea. I’m not a fan of Chinese tea, but I really dug the glass teapots that were used. The little blue glass leaf perched on the lid of each teapot was so intricate!

Other than the overall good food and nice ambience (the full length glass windows provide diners a clear view of the sea), service is wonderful too, and certainly very un-secret society. My only gripe is that the prices here are a tad on the high side!

I heard they serve dim sum lunch too. Maybe someone can check it out and let me know if it’s any good!

Bosses 黑社会
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-156
Singapore 098585
(65) 6376 9740
Service:

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, Vivocity

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Photo by Brotzeit

Seriously, nothing beats having a stress-free day drinking beer by the sea. Since then, Brotzeit has become one of my favorite places to sit down for a cold beer, besides Brewerkz. The atmosphere here is great! In case anyone is curious, “brotzeit” can be directly translated to “bread time”, which simply means snack time.

Photo by Kim Kian

Besides the alfresco dining area, the indoor dining is pretty nice too, with all the chic designer leather furniture. The contemporary design employs a large use of white and brown tones. One side of the wall is decorated with interesting murals of animals drinking — what else — beer! Haha! They look kind of Egyptian to me.

I was there again recently, to have beer and some food. Their pork knuckles and sausages appeared to be hot-sellers. But since I don’t take any meat other than chicken, we went for their seafood platter instead.

Fischplatte
SGD27.90++

The seafood platter, or Fischplatte as they call it, was meant for two persons. All the food was spread out nicely on the plate, consisting of prawns, salmon, crabmeat, tuna and anchovies, plus an ample amount of vegetables such as cucumber, olives and tomatoes. Still, the overall portion was pretty little for a two-person share.

Deep-fried prawn

The prawns were slightly breaded before being deep-fried. They weren’t exactly the juiciest thing. Personally I prefer prawns to be grilled or steamed. That way, they retain more of their natural seafood taste and moisture.

Smoked salmon

I’ve always been a fan of salmon, especially when it’s sashimi. But the smoked salmon here was pretty ordinary. There’s nothing particularly memorable about it.

Marinated tuna

To my surprise I found myself enjoying the tuna much more than the smoked salmon, despite the fact that I’ve never been fond of the former. Just look at how fresh it is!

Crab Salad

Strangely enough, the tasty crab salad turned out to be my favorite! So there wasn’t exactly a lot of crabmeat. Nonetheless, it was bite after bite of pure delight! I liked that it was all creamy and colorful, the result of a wonderful blend of mayonnaise and vegetables.

White anchovies

Lastly, the white anchovies. Okay, I don’t like anchovies. Never can, never will. But the white anchovies here were just bursting with flavor!

About the beer here, they have three drafts by Paulaner, specially imported from Munich. (Apparently these aren’t available at the Paulaner bar in Millenia Walk.) Usually I would go for the very light-colored Weissbier (white beer). But next time round I’m trying out the Salvador, which has a higher alcohol content and a slight tinge of chocolate!

Something new that I just learned today: Paulaner brews its beer in accordance to the German purity law that came about in 1516. What this means is that only certain natural ingredients may be used in the brewery, ensuring that the beer would be pure. Pretty awesome eh?

Prost!

Brotzeit
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #01-149/151
Singapore 098585
(65) 6272 8815 | Website
Service:

Bus services: 10, 30, 57, 61, 65, 80, 97, 100, 131, 143, 145, 166, 855
Nearest MRT: Harbourfront

Opening hours: 12pm – 12am (Daily), 12pm – 1am (Weekends, eve of PH & PH)

Posted by Veron in Food category | alfresco/outdoor dining, bar, beer, German, restobar, Vivocity, waterfront

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Marché has often been compared to The Vila’ge, a local restaurant that pretty much rips off the entire Marché concept. The two share astounding similarities. Although both managements have denied any links, we don’t really know for sure.

But for now, this post would simply be about Marché. Just for the record, I love the new place! The overall feel is refreshingly different from before. I’m very happy to say that it trumps the Vila’ge in all aspects.

First of all, the restaurant has scored an awesome spot on the rooftop of VivoCity. One side of the restaurant is made almost entirely of glass windows, allowing ample skylight to pour in. It gives the feel of alfresco dining even though you’re really dining indoor. Best of both worlds!

Of course, its signature bull (or cow) mascot is back!

Like its previous flagship restaurant at the Heeren, this one also has segregated eating areas with each area sporting a different look. One area has double-seaters with red and white checkered tablecloth. Another has chairs with fur-printed seats. Then, there’s also a room that resembles a cottage.

The lines drawn between these separate themed areas are pretty blurry. To the people that don’t pay much attention, the place would simply appear as one large eating area. For one, large amounts of 500 year old wood taken from an actual Swiss log cabin is used throughout the entire restaurant. How’s that for authenticity?

The “cashless” system has also been retained, where every diner is given a card that records the purchase for each item ordered. In the past (as well as at the Vila’ge), a large flimsy card made from paper was used for this purpose. People who lost the card would incur a $100 fine. If I lost this card now, at least I would be paying $100 for a proper card made from plastic rather than a piece of paper.

Okay, let’s get on with what really matters — the food! What you will find here is predominantly European. Besides miso soup, I didn’t spot anything particularly Asian.

Salad (small)
SGD4.80+ + 1% CESS

At the salad station, you can select your salad size and choose from various ingredients. We had a small salad with lettuce, baby potato and cheese. Yum!

Marché’s signature dish is rösti, a food made from potatoes. Don’t the potato shreds resemble pasta?

Rösti with Premium Smoked Salmon
SGD11.80+ + 1% CESS

I have the rösti with smoked salmon. Cooked al dente, it is light and sort of fluffy on the inside. I like it!

But most of all I love the two large slices of nicely flavored salmon. Very delicious! This is one dish I would recommend to all Marché visitors.

For the meat lovers, you can get your fix at the grill station. The food is barbecued only after an order has been placed.

Grilled Chicken Breast
SGD6.80+ + 1% CESS

I have — what else — grilled chicken breast. It is, rather disappointingly, a tad on the dull side. The sauce has such little flavor, I have to dump a lot of chili sauce onto the chicken! For a relatively simple dish, they really should have gotten it right.

However, there is an unexpected find at the grill station — the yellow cream sauce. It has the distinct taste of wasabi and adds an interesting dimension to what is otherwise a boring dish.

An assorted range of buns and breads is available. These catch my interest…

Swiss cross buns! Each one is marked with a cross like the Swiss flag! Cute!

Swiss Cross Bun
SGD1+ + 1% CESS

Of course I must have one! I am already stuffed, but that cute little bun is irresistible! I love the way the butter glistens under the light! It tastes a little sweet, and goes pretty well with this…

Chocolate Mousse (small)
SGD4.50+ + 1% CESS

Chocolate mousse! I know it doesn’t look great here, but chocolate mousse is one of my favorite desserts! We don’t really get it much around here, do we? At Marché, we can simply grab a bowl and scoop as much of it as we want! Smooth, creamy, and sinful. Ooh la la, what a sexy little dessert. It needs not necessarily be eaten from a bowl, if you know what I mean.

Lastly, the drinks section. There are the usual tea, alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks such as snapple. I neglect to check out the beer. Would someone please let me know what’s the main brand of beer sold in Marché? At the Vila’ge it’s the German brand, Erdinger.

Cappuccino & Mocha
SGD3.80 & $4.80+ + 1% CESS

And since I am currently in a cappuccino craze, that is what I have. In fact, I must have at least one cuppa joe everyday! Over the past few weeks I have had the ones from Coffee Bean, Starbucks, tcc, McDonald’s and now Marché.

While we’re still on the subject, what’s your favorite place to get cappuccino? I need good recommendations! For now it’s tcc. But because there isn’t a tcc outlet at my workplace, I tend to buy it at McDonald’s. Cheap, cheap cappuccino from McDonald’s! Yeah, yeah, shame on me.

So anyway, if you don’t find yourself scampering off to Marché yet, this ought to do it:

Not only does Marché boast of delicious European food that is prepared on the spot, they also guarantee their vegetables to be fresh and healthily cooked! They have even come up with a “7 point freshness program” to show for it.

I wasn’t actually a fan of Marché before when it had two franchisee outlets in Singapore for years. But after its reentry with this refreshing new restaurant falling directly under its Swiss management, I find it highly promising and definitely much trendier than before.

Yes, I’m a fan now!

By the by, speaking of Switzerland, its influence does go far doesn’t it? Here there are Swiss army knives, Swiss rolls, Swiss chocolate, and now Marché! What other Swiss products can you think of?

Posted by Veron in Food category | Marketplace, Swiss, Vivocity

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My favorite is French toast that’s done Hong Kong style, usually glazed with honey, condensed milk, chocolate syrup or peanut butter. Wow! My entire mouth just filled with saliva!

In recent years, several café chains (茶餐厅) pertaining to Hong Kong snacks have sprouted in Singapore. There’s Toast Box, Man Jia Le, and more recently, Kim Gary, all with one thing in common — toast done Hong Kong style!

By the way, I love the way toast is pronounced in mandarin — 多士. It sounds really cute!

Sweetened Condensed Milk and Peanut Butter Thick Toast (甜奶花生酱烧厚面包)
SGD2++

I especially like to have peanut butter and condensed milk as toppings. Peanut butter must be the best thing since sliced bread (haha I couldn’t resist writing that)! Give me French toast anytime with these two toppings and I’ll turn into a happy little girl.

I love that the condensed milk forms a nice random pattern over the toast. It even glistens in the light!

Sweetened Condensed Milk and Peanut Butter Toast (奶酱多)
SGD0.50++

For those who don’t really fancy French toast, Kim Gary also has the same thing done with regular sliced bread. And check this out: you pay just 50 cents to have this yummy snack with such generous toppings! When was the last time you saw a menu item at a restaurant that cost just 50 cents?

Besides condensed milk and peanut butter, other bread toppings you would find at kim gary include jam and even shredded coconut! I wonder what that tastes like.

“Yin Yong” in Hong Kong Style (港式鸳鸯)
SGD1.40++

Of course, the perfect drink to wash it all down would be — what else — the popular Hong Kong beverage, yuan yang! It is a mixture of coffee and tea, said to be invented in Hong Kong (although the Dutch are crying foul). Can’t decide between tea or coffee? Go for yuan yang!

Curiously enough, despite naming itself “Hong Kong Kim Gary Restaurant”, this place has outlets only in Malaysia and a solo one in Singapore. No complaints from me though. I don’t mind having one more Hong Kong snacks café in Singapore with cheap and delicious food.

Actually it is really a restaurant selling dishes such as beef noodles, but I would go there only for the toast.

Hong Kong Kim Gary Restaurant
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-128
Singapore 098585
(65) 6376 8183
Service:

These are more of the Hong Kong toast I’ve had before, all of which are very creative renditions of such a simple snack! (click on the photograph to get to the particular food review.)

Ahhh… pork floss thick toast. With a topping like pork floss, it is found at none other than BreadTalk’s sister chain, Toast Box.

Man Jia Le’s French toast with chocolate syrup and peanut butter is another awesome combination, albeit sinful enough to induce a sore throat.

Of course — I bet you saw this coming — there had to be one served with ice cream! french toast with vanilla ice cream at C-Jade Express:

During my Hong Kong trip, snacks such as these were the norm. Bread appeared to be a staple food over there. This chocolate French toast in particular looked almost too pretty to be eaten!

Another toast I had in Hong Kong was simply regular sliced bread topped with honey and condensed milk.

There you go! My love affair with Hong Kong toast. I can’t be the only one, can i?

Posted by Veron in Food category | Hong Kong, toast, Vivocity

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Located at the Sentosa gateway and across from VivoCity, the largest shopping mall in Singapore, this formerly functioning power station is now home to nine different clubs and bars.

I wonder if party-goers know that there is also a restaurant over here, called “the station kitchen”. It is managed by the breadtalk folks and houses three kinds of cuisines and concepts. There is the din tai fung noodle bar (chinese food), “what you do” prata stall (indian food) and charcoal (taiwanese grill).

At what you do prata, the Indian chef whips up a range of curries and gravies that look really tantalising. I love Indian food, so naturally I was very tempted!

Chicken Masala
SGD4.50+++

Instead of having some good ol’ roti prata, I went for the chicken masala. I had really high expectations because the Indian chef looked as though he was really good at what he did! But the chicken turned out looking much better than it tasted. “masala” means a mixture of many spices, but the masala sauce certainly didn’t excite.

Briyani Rice
SGD2+++

Of course, if you had all that gravy, you would want something else to go along. Ideally I would have naan but they didn’t have any so I had briyani rice instead. Once again, it was blah and tasted monotonous. A good briyani rice ought to be some nicely spiced basmati rice, well-cooked and firm to the bite. Disappointingly, the one here just didn’t make the cut.

Teh Halia (Ginger Tea)
SGD2.90+++

Still, I loved the teh halia. teh halia is teh tarik (“pulled” tea) with ginger juice added. The first time I ever had teh halia, I found the taste a little odd. But after subsequent times I was hooked! This, and masala tea (spicy tea) too.

At the din tai fung noodle bar, Chinese chefs made noodles on the spot. This is done by repeatedly pulling and stretching the dough by hand. Each time someone places an order, the guy would start doing his thing, hence guaranteeing that every bowl of noodles is made fresh!

Noodle with Minced Pork in Bean Sauce
SGD8+++

I don’t eat pork but I did get a taste of the hand-made noodle — firm and smooth, springy and cooked to perfection. Very nice! The bean sauce was delightful.

So that’s two out of three. The last part of the station kitchen — charcoal — didn’t really appeal to me much. A major part of the charcoal concept means that you get/have to cook your own food, which doesn’t exactly appeal to me.

Even though the station kitchen may not be that fantastic, party-goers are sure to throng this place after dark as it’s probably the only eating place in the same area that opens until 5am. Under its management, which has a successful and proven track record in breadtalk, din tai fung and food republic, the station kitchen would certainly be around for a long time.

The Station Kitchen
St James Power Station
3 Sentosa Gateway #01-11/15
Singapore 098544
(65) 6376 8085
Service:

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Marketplace, Sentosa, Vivocity

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“The Mussel Guys”. Ain’t that a cheeky name? Well I did not notice any muscle guys, that’s for sure. Haha! A restaurant specialising in mussels is pretty rare, isn’t it? This isn’t the kind of food that many people would be a fan of. But for me though, I just love mussels! (Okay, muscles too.)

Apart from mussels, the restaurant also serves other seafood, steak, and a few more meat dishes. I go for a pasta with the signature mussels. I don’t have to wait long — the dish is served within ten minutes!

One thing that I notice is that diners are not provided with an extra small bowl to hold the empty shells. Considering that the restaurant specialises in mussels which don’t exactly have small shells, this is something that it definitely should not overlook.

Mussels Pasta
SGD15.90++

My mussels pasta is a Chef’s Recommendation, but what a huge disappointment it is! The menu promised a chunky and thick tomato sauce, but it is really thin and watered down! Frankly, Prego‘s bottled pasta sauces fare much better than this. This is easily one of the blandest pastas I have ever tasted!

That’s not even the worst part. I highly doubt that the five or six mussels in my pasta are even fresh. There is almost no taste to them, as though they have been frozen for a long time.

It’s a real shame that for a restaurant that prides itself as being “The Mussel Guys”, it can’t even manage something as simple as mussel pasta. In fact, the mussels and clams pasta at Pastamania is way more satisfying at just half the price. And they provide the little bowl for your shells, too!

Give this one a miss, folks!

The Mussel Guys
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-123
Singapore 098585
(65) 6820 1800 | Website
Service:

Posted by Veron in Food category | seafood, Vivocity, Western

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The gotheborg replica reenacted the same journey that its ill-fated predecessor made more than 260 years ago. As part of a two year long expedition, it came to Singapore too. In fact, it is now docked at the VivoCity promenade!

The moment I saw pictures of the gotheborg in the press, I knew I had to see it for myself. I just HAD to!

Check out that huge anchor! I’ve always wondered if those things hit any sharks or other sea creatures when the crew lower them into the water.

Very ancient looking ship with those sails and all! I can almost see the pirates. Love it!

One thing that surprised me a little is the ship’s figurehead. Doesn’t it bear a striking resemblance with our very own merlion?

In order to maintain the character of the ancient ship which was built by hand, 20 tons of ropes and 2000 square meters of canvas had been handmade and sewn for this replica. Almost every stitch was made exactly identical to the original. It’s incredible!

I’m really loving the VivoCity promenade. Barely two months back, it had played host to another cool ship, the doulos, which is the world’s oldest active passenger ship. And now this!

The gotheborg is open to the public until tomorrow, so you can go on board and explore a little. It would remain in Singapore until the 14th. Do not miss it!

The Swedish Ship Götheborg
The Swedish Ship Götheborg Project
Wikipedia: East Indiaman Götheborg

Posted by Veron in Singapore category | Ship, Vivocity

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Decked out in silver and various hues of pink, this shiny tree is made completely out of Christmas baubles and lights in alternating layers. Say, doesn’t it resemble a giant multi-tiered cake?

I love the way its thick layers of Christmas lights come alive at night, looking all magnificent and bright.

Posted by Veron in Holidays category | Christmas tree, Vivocity

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Well I was eager to find out. And apparently, so were many other people. The restaurant at the spanking new VivoCity was jam-packed even on a weekday evening. We had no choice but to share a long table with five other couples. The lit walkway that leads to the main dining area is a nice touch, and does a good job of concealing the fact that the restaurant is actually rather small.

Diced Fish with Osmanthus Honey Sauce (桂花蜜饯鱼粒)
SGD10+++

The menu gives the first clue as to why this restaurant is “in”. Many of the dishes are made with unconventional ingredients and for a first-time visitor, picking the dishes can prove rather daunting. Luckily waitresses were on hand to offer suggestions. Ours recommended the diced fish with osmanthus honey sauce as an appetiser, which coincidentally was what I had been eyeing. Fish with honey sauce seemed an interesting combination and the result was excellent.

At this point I noticed that each person’s place setting had two pairs of chopsticks instead of one. I haven’t dined at Chinese restaurants that frequently so I can’t be sure that this is uncommon. The black chopsticks are meant for bringing food from the common dish that everyone shares to your plate, whereas the silver chopsticks are to be used for eating.

Chinese Oolong Tea (铁观音)
SGD2+++

For drinks we had the Chinese tea (铁观音). Bitter and bland isn’t exactly my cup of tea although it is a good palate cleanser. As you can see I’m totally not a Chinese-tea person and know next to nothing about it!

Braised E-Fu Noodles with Scallop & Egg White (赛螃蟹带子伊面)
SGD18+++

I made the mistake of ordering too much food! The noodles filled a huge bowl, which was enough to feed four persons comfortably. And there were just two of us! It didn’t even taste good! In fact, with the exception of the fish appetiser, all the dishes were bland and monotonous.

Sauteed Diced Chicken & Assorted Mushroom with Dried Chili (宫保什菌鸡丁)
SGD18+++

Take a common Chinese dish like kung pow chicken. This is a popular dish that is meant to be flavorful. Yet somehow the chef managed to whip up a bland-tasting dish that barely aroused my taste-buds.

Braised Seasonal Vegetable with Crab Roe (蟹黄扒蔬菜)
SGD16+++

The vegetable dish actually fared better. It was an interesting dish consisting of greens covered in a generous amount of crab roe. The roe added much dimension to an otherwise boring dish.

In conclusion the food at the newest Crystal Jade restaurant is nothing to shout about, despite the high prices. I had enjoyed my previous trips to Crystal Jade la mian xiao long bao much, much better. However, the bland dishes may just appeal to the health-conscious or those with mild palates. Prices here aren’t exactly dirt cheap so budget about $40-$50 per person.

Crystal Jade Dining IN (翡翠膳坊)
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-112 Singapore 098585
(65) 6278 5626
Service:
www.crystaljade.com

Posted by Veron in Food category | Chinese, Crystal Jade, fine dining, Vivocity

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The entire crew on board the ship is made up of volunteers who do not get paid for their work. It is pretty expensive to maintain a ship, especially one that sails round the world. One of the ways in which the doulas gets its funding is through donations. Another way is through book sales. A book fair on board has books going at rather low prices. The idea of shopping on a ship is quite a novel idea, isn’t it? My interest and curiosity certainly was piqued!

The doulos sails round the world to spread the word of god as well as to help needy people. I spoke to a few crew members who were all from different countries! Apparently there may be more than thirty different nationalities among the crew at any one time, all of different race and profession. Amazing isn’t it? People who can’t be more different banding together with one single goal.

I have already registered as a volunteer to work on the ship. Hopefully they would give me a chance to be part of this meaningful expedition!

Posted by Veron in Singapore category | Ship, Vivocity

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My wish was granted at a hip little restaurant at VivoCity. It had a quirky name — white dog café! The choice of pasta? Fettucini aglio olio!

Fettucini Aglio Olio
SGD16++

My first pasta in weeks turned out to be a huge disappointment. For a start it definitely didn’t look too appetising — a little dull even. At one glance I knew it wouldn’t go down too well. I was right.

I found the entire dish pedestrian, even though it had been recommended by the waiter. The fettucini was simply too chewy and the taste bland. I left most of it untouched and worked on the few prawns instead. The prawns were, thankfully, large and juicy, and just enough to satiate my hunger.

High Tea Set of Chocolate Lava Cake & Coffee
SGD6++

The high tea set offer looked rather tempting, especially with the chocolate lava cake beckoning to me from the glass cabinet. Warm chocolate cake oozing hot chocolate lava. It’s simply impossible to go wrong! There’s nothing like lounging out on a nice, sunny afternoon with chocolate cake and hot coffee!

I should spend some time talking about the atmosphere too. Even with the below-par pasta dish, I did like the whole breezy and casual ambience of the restaurant. Like many restaurants at VivoCity, white dog café is situated on one side of the mall that’s facing the sea. Diners can enjoy a good view of the sea through the full length windows, with Sentosa in the distance.

With the comfortable armchairs available, you can simply kick off your heels and relax over a nice afternoon tea. One drawback though, is that kay poh (nosy) Singaporeans walking along the deck would be constantly looking in to check out the food you’re eating!

White Dog Cafe
VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk #02-131/132
Singapore 098585
(65) 6376 9970
Service:

Posted by Veron in Food category | lava cake, Vivocity, Western

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