benben & dardar's food expedition
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Showing posts tagged wouldn't mind going back
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Munch
Thanks to Ben’s recommendation from one of his foodblog reads, Dar got to try Munch at the newly built Marina Bay Link Mall. Hidden in one secluded corner, we had to walk all the way to the end. One may have some problems trying to find one’s way there.
Offering the rotisserie and gourmet salad concept, they offer a variety of salads, rotisserie chicken and even rosti and sausages.
Fascinated with their brekkie offerings, Dar decided to choose her scrambled eggs
Mushroom & Cheese Scramble ($6.50)
The scrambled eggs were of the right texture and the cheese was a great complement to the eggs. Ben was so impressed with their mushrooms that he almost wanted another serving!
Rosti with Sausage ($9.00)
Decent. The rosti was slightly oily and wasn’t as crispy. Ben reminisced his previous “rosti” experience at Marché! The sausage was not to his liking either.
Overall a nice concept to introduce the rotisserie culture in Singapore. Some hits and misses, but would definitely come back for the scrambled eggs and mushrooms :)
Munch
Marina Bay Link Mall #B2-19
Opening hours : Mon to Fri - 7.00am to 7.00pm
Closed on weekends and PHs
Website: http://www.munch.sg/
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Oriole Cafe & Bar
Ben had tried this place a few times, so he decided to bring Dar to this place for dinner after shopping at 313 Somerset. He had made a reservation earlier, so we had no qualms getting seats.
Chose the indoor seating as the ambience was much nicer indoors.
Ben told Dar that their barista Keith Loh won Best Barista in the Singapore National Barista Championship 2010. Even though Dar was not a fan of coffee, coffee was on her agenda as she wanted to try out their coffees.
Our Piccolo Latte ($5.80) - Double ristretto, steamed milk
Ben decided on what to order, since he had been here before. We started off with their appetizer:
Arancini ($10.00) - Crispy fried porcini mushroom risotto balls with a gorgonzola dip
The gorgonzola dip - a cream cheese dip made from the blue-veined Italian cheese, was a refreshing addition to the nicely deep fried balls which tended to be a tad too dry.
Spaghetti Prawns ($16.00) - garlic, chilli, tomato, arugula
Ben thought this was decent, but Dar felt it was too dry and not to her liking. After all, she’s a fan of cream-based pastas.
Capellini Crabmeat ($24.00) - jumbo lump crabmeat, piquillo peppers, aglio olio
Dar was complaining about the spiciness of this dish especially with the piquillo peppers used. Ben felt that the spaghetti was not cooked al dente. He was singing praises about a dish that was previously in Oriole’s menu, Salmon Tagliatelle but the dish was apparently removed from their menu.
In the end, Ben decided that if he were to come back to Oriole the next time, he would order his Fish & Chips($15). Having said that, it is still worth going back to Oriole for their coffees and a good chill out place at affordable prices.
Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road #01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Website: http://www.oriole.com.sg/home.htm
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Kyo-Nichi Japanese Ramen
Sushi Tei at China Square was crowded as usual, so we chose to go to Kyo-Nichi instead! Dar strongly recommended that place, as she had been there before. The lunch set was reasonably priced at $12.80++ and consisted of a drink, a ramen and an appetizer.
For the appetizers, we decided to order Potato Croquette and Prawn Rolls to share. They were generally quite nice, though a bit oily.
Ben was attracted to the Chicken Karaage which the adjacent table ordered and said that he would definitely order the next time round. As for the drinks, we chose our fave Heaven & Earth Green Tea :)
Look at our yummy ramens! The collagen-laden broth was quite good (especially for our complexion), and most of the ladies around us seemed excited about the broth!
Ben’s choice: Spicy Chicken Ramen
Apparently, this is not spicy enough for Ben. He kept talking about how spicy Beppu’s ramen was.
Dar’s choice: Corn Ramen
Overall, the portions were generous and the set was certainly value-for-money. Although the service staff mostly hailed from China, the service was quite efficient and they were generally quite polite. Certainly worth a try if you’re in the area and if Sushi Tei is too crowded.
Kyo-Nichi Japanese Ramen
China Square Central #01-31/32
Opening hours: 11.00am to 9.30pm
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The House of Robert Timms
Ben & Dar spontaneously decided to try out Robert Timms at Orchard Shopping Centre after catching sight of their one-for-one lunch promotion during GSS! Dar wanted to let Ben satisfy his coffee fix too hee <3
Pretty Piccolo Latte for Ben:
Yummy prawn and asparagus aglio olio for Dar:
Beer Battered Fish and Chips for Ben:
The House of Robert Timms
321 Orchard Road, #01-01/02
Orchard Shopping Centre
Opening hours : 11am to 11pm
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Yaki Yaki Bo Teppanyaki Restaurant
After our tea break, Ben & Dar continued walking around nex trying to find something special to eat. And since both Ben & Dar was in a mood for teppanyaki, we decided to bring Ben’s Mummy to Yaki Yaki Bo! We realized that Yaki Yaki Bo is actually part of the Ichiban group of restaurants.
We ordered two Seafood set lunches to share and the first course was salad:
The salad sauce was tangy but the vegetables was too raw for Dar’s liking. Ben and his mummy couldn’t finish the salad anyway.
And we changed the plain white rice to the garlic rice for a $2 add-on and it was super tasty, much much nicer than the Sakae Teppanyaki’s rendition. And even for Ben who is not a fan of rice, he ordered one bowl for himself and savored every last morsel.
The seafood set included salmon, scallops, prawns and sotong:
The scallops were huge and juicy, nicely grilled on the outside yet tender on the inside. The grilled prawns remind me of the ones served on the seafood platter in Manhattan Fish Market. Yum!
Check out the salmon! It is steamed in a japanese soya sauce which makes it uber good and at the same time it serves to neutralize the oily feel of the teppanyaki dishes. The sauce goes especially well with the garlic rice!
The Chawanmushi is decent, though a bit watery, served in a onion peel which serves as a bowl. Ben prefers the chawanmushi at Sushi Tei :)
Even though we went during non-peak hours, the service was rather slow and Ben had problems getting the attention of the service staff. Oddly the beansprouts was served last, long after we had finished our garlic rice.
On top of that, we ordered a Okonomiyaki to share cos Ben thought that two set lunches wouldn’t be enough:
The okonomiyaki is similar to what Ben & Dar has tried elsewhere at Botejyu and feels that it is not particularly special.
Overall, Ben & Dar likes the food there but find their service too slow. Probably because of the nature of the way they cook the food on the spot. Advice: Come only if you are prepared to have a LONG lunch!
Yaki Yaki Bo
#B1-78 nex
23 Serangoon Central
Opening Hours: 11:00am -10:00pm daily -
Porn’s
We had first caught sight of the SEXY.THAI.FOOD shop on Upper East Coast Road just next to our favourite Udders ice cream and we wanted to go back there to try it someday! So one fine day after a long shopping trip at Bugis, Ben & Dar decided to go visit its branch located on Liang Seah Street.
Ben especially likes their shop logo. Isn’t it cute?
If you’re wondering why the shop name sounds so suggestive, it is actually named after the local artiste Pornsak who is the owner of the shop, and in case you are still thinking in the wrong direction, check out the definition printed on the wall - blessings and good wishes!
We ordered Dar’s favourite Pineapple Rice ($10.90) which both Ben & Dar thinks it was decent while the prawns were fresh and crunchy. However, Ben thinks that Ah Loy Thai (Shaw Towers) does a better rendition of the pineapple rice. Dar, on the other hand, reminisced about the flossy pineapple rice she used to eat at Thai Noodle House (Bukit Timah) back in her JC days.
We ordered the Thai Prawn Cakes ($8.90) with a lovely breaded crust and moist fillings, served with the tangy thai chilli sauce that gives it a refreshing kick. Worth a try!
How can we not have their Thai specialty drinks to go along? Dar had a Freshly Brewed Thai Roselle and Lime ($3.90) drink while Ben had a Thai Iced Tea ($3.90). One’s good for neutralizing the oily feeling while the other is good for neutralizing the spiciness!
While some may think that their food is slightly overpriced (especially if you compare to Ah Loy Thai), the food is decent and overall the prices are still quite reasonable. Thus, we would not entirely rule Porn’s out of the thai restaurants that we would go to!
Porn’s
28 Liang Seah Street
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 12-3 pm, 6-10 pm
Sunday 6-10 pm
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Antoinette
Hidden among the old shophouses in the quiet town of Lavender, Ben brought Dar to this lovely European style cafe to try out their desserts. That was long before the craze after its branch was set up in Mandarin Gallery which makes it much more commercialized and less of a quiet and pretty hideout.
When Ben & Dar first stepped into the cafe, they were overwhelmed by how the Victorian furnishing looks as though they were only fit for royalty. And we unanimously agreed that this place was only fit for tai-tais. In fact, we noticed a table seated with 4 tai-tais enjoying afternoon tea!
Look at the colourful macaroons used to decorate the shelves!
Taken away by the posh interior of the cafe and how everything seems to fit into the theme so well! The comfy seats and the classy decor made Dar squeal!
Their signature dessert, Antoinette ($9). Ben was totally in love with this earl-grey infused chocolate mousse with hazelnut feuilletine. Simply heavenly!
How could our teabreak be complete without teas?
Iced Lemon Tea and Iced Latte
And since we both still had some room in our stomachs, we decided on ordering one of their brunch items to share. The bread was lightly toasted and really crispy - we really loved how they did their toast!
Scrambled eggs with Sauteed Mushrooms
A lovely place for a first date, especially given its remote yet not too obscure location. Just a 3-minute walk from Lavender MRT Station, do come by to experience for yourself the lovely decor and the lovely food!
P.S. Dar strongly recommends this place for aspiring tai-tais (including herself!)
Antoinette
30 Penhas Road
Opening hours: 10 am to 11 pm
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Raindrops Cafe
“ Raindrops keep falling on my head ”
Ben has been speaking of Raindrops cafe and how special it is, so we finally decided to dine there today! Spending our last weekend having fun before school officially starts next week! :D
The place is really small but gives a real cosy feeling! At the most, we think it can only seat up to 15 to 20 people! Plus point: it has only one outlet at *Scape beside Cineleisure! (P.S. Ben doesn’t like commercialized cafes)
Ben and Dar was totally in love with their interior layout, especially the blackboard!
Look at their cute menu! We simply love it (:
The cafe serves a variety of pizzas, pastas, mains and sides! However, as Dar doesn’t eat meat, she settled for pasta instead!
Squid Ink Prawn and Scallop Roe ($14)
Grilled prawns, scallop roe, garlic & squid ink sauce topped with spaghetti. Dar quite liked the dish although it stained her teeth black. She warned that you should definitely not eat this if going out on a first date!
Chicken Roulade ($22)
Though Ben has tried much better chicken roulade elsewhere, the one at Raindrops is decent. Grilled chicken wrapped with bacon and topped with honey mustard sauce, the unique combination is a must-try!
Hidden in a secluded area behind *Scape, the glass house surrounded by lush greenery provides some serenity amidst the vibes of the city. Given the cosy setting, comfort food at affordable prices, we would consider going back if we were in the area.
Raindrops Cafe
2 Orchard Link
#02-38 *Scape
Opening hours: 11.00am to 1.00am
Website: http://raindrops.sg/
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Yu Cuisine
One fine Sunday afternoon, Ben brought Dar, his daddy and mummy to visit Marina Bay Sands. They went there in the late afternoon, and settled for an early dinner at Yu Cuisine, a dim sum restaurant, which Ben and Dar caught sight when they last visited MBS. They were attracted by the bluish layout of the restaurant and the crystal fishes overhanging from the lights which makes it feels like an aquarium.
The service staff were very friendly, and they were eager to recommend their dishes to us. This was something that the auntie recommended, Salad Youtiao with Fish Paste which wasn’t amazing.
The next dish was Fried Prawns with Mango Sauce, which gave it a very unique flavour that was sweet and sour. It was also served with rice crackers that Ben and Dar likes.
Ben & Dar ordered a twin veggies dish, Kai Lan and Fa Cai which tasted decent though the kai lan was rather tough and the facai retained most of the oil from the frying.
The highlight of the day’s menu was the Fried Fish with Thai Sauce which both Ben & Dar thought it was rather creative and the thai sauce that accompanied the dish was good.
Overall we felt that there were hits and misses and the food prices were rather pricey (though not as expensive the other restaurants at MBS!). Ben & Dar wouldn’t mind going back to try other creative dishes and maybe the dimsum next time!
渔 Yu Cuisine
#B1-08 (Galleria Level)
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Opening Hours: 11 am to 11 pm daily
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Bazin
After an early dinner at Yu Cuisine, we decided to find a place to chill and watch the pretty sunset at MBS. We chose Bazin out of the many bars available on the decks, especially since Ben’s daddy was craving for beer. We ordered a mocktail for Dar, fruit punch for Ben’s Mummy, beers and bar snacks to go along.
Virgin Pina Colada ($10) for the “virgin” drinker. Dar liked it a lot as it tasted like pineapple milkshake!
Ben’s mummy is a fan of sweet potato, so we decided to order their special bar snack, Sweet Potato Fries ($8) to share. Nicely deep-fried sweet potato seasoned with paprika flour, this was a unique rendition of french fries!
We decided to order some Honey Soy Chicken Wings ($14) for the guys to go with their beers. Supposedly marinated 24 hrs in NZ wild honey, light soya sauce, ginger and garlic as well as rosemary, Ben felt that the chicken wings were so-so and he would have done a much better job.
Situated in a prime location alongside the waterfront, Bazin offers a wonderful place to enjoy the breathtaking view of Marina Bay and the skyline. Great ambience to enjoy a glass of beer over some bar snacks and have a gathering with family or friends. Would possibly come back to try their snacks.
Bazin
2 Bayfront Avenue #01-84
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Opening hours: 12pm to 1am daily
Website: www.bazin.com.sg
