Sunday, December 22, 2013

LE Restaurant and Asian Tapas Bar @ Suntec City Mall


The newly revamped Suntec City has reopened with quite a few brand new restaurants, and one of them is Le Restaurant which is by the people behind the Paradise Group of restaurants.

 photo a01_zpsaaebbbac.jpg

At the centre of the restaurant is this light-changing Buddha statue, creating a mystical ambience.

 photo a02_zps718b9cfa.jpg

The entrance to the restaurant. I think 90% of people who pass by this entrance would have no idea that this place serves Cantonese food and Dim Sum.

For lunch today, we ordered their S$188 and S$138 set meal, where we can try all the various dishes.

 photo a04_zpsfaecaa06.jpg

Started off with the Chilled Mexican Abalone with Soy Sesame Dressing. A refreshing appetizer to start off our feast.

 photo a05_zpsd559aa83.jpg

Another appetizer was this Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio with Soy Vinaigrette. Scallop was fresh and sweet.

 photo a03_zpse13afe9b.jpg

Brewing a pot of special glutinous rice tea

 photo a06_zps4eb9e96b.jpg

Something for the cold weather - Double boiled Porcini fungus and cordyceps flower soup

 photo a07_zpsac82a7c6.jpg


Another abalone dish - Pan seared Foie Gras accompanied with braised 6-head abalone

 photo a08_zpsd63ed672.jpg

Red Garoupa poached in lobster broth. You can imagine how sweet the soup is.

 photo a09_zps59a66e2f.jpg

Pan fried French duck thigh with Thai salad and shallot. Very interesting dish and very flavourful.

 photo a01_zps7e635482.jpg

Pan seared grade 9 Australian wagyu beef with lemon zest. The beef was juicy.

 photo a10_zps9e565701.jpg

Stir fried angel hair with lobster. Really enjoyed this dish. If I could, I will order one big plate next time!

 photo a11_zps2a0051af.jpg

Chilled noodles with king crab in Teochew broth. This pales in comparison to the former dish.

 photo a12_zps1c6f517b.jpg

A look at the interior seats. Although the décor is dark, but the chairs and tables are rather bright.

 photo a13_zps0f82484a.jpg

For dessert, we had the Crispy custard lava bun with vanilla gelato

 photo a14_zps8c786273.jpg

Sweet temptation of mango sago, avocado cream, Yakult pudding and fruits

 photo a15_zps7406acc6.jpg

Adjourned to bar area for house cocktail. Double Happiness : Bombay east gin, kaffir lime.

The restaurant wasn't crowded when we were there on a weekend lunch. The food is good, but maybe the décor is confusing for some who thinks this is a western food restaurant.


LE Restaurant and Asian Tapas Bar
#02-314,
Suntec City Mall,
3 Temasek Boulevard

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Lawry's The Prime Rib @ Mandarin Gallery


Ever since Lawry's moved from Paragon to Mandarin Gallery, we have not been there. The place looks much bigger than previously, and is more spacious.

 photo a01_zps6205a130.jpg

We were here for brunch on a weekend, and as it was raining there were not much diners here.

 photo a02_zps65ef2e8c.jpg

For brunch, we ordered the Signature Prime Rib Brunch (S$88) and the Weekend Brunch (S$88)

 photo a03_zpsf9ca21d0.jpg

We were recommended this Sake MIO (S$25 per bottle), which is a kind of sparkling sake. This a very delicious and easy to drink sake. Almost like a soft drink, but with the fragrance and taste of sake. Highly recommended.

 photo a04_zps312defee.jpg

The famous original spinning salad, where the server keeps spinning the metal bowl to "spin" out any remaining water from the lettuce.

 photo a05_zps36bc3a2a.jpg

Pretty good. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy. I enjoyed their salad dressing too.

 photo a06_zps4f94b5a9.jpg

Also ordered a bottle of Vecchia Storia Moscato (S$95 per bottle) to go with the steak.

 photo a07_zpsecd93913.jpg

Next comes the soup - Cream of Black Truffle Mushroom with Garlic Toast (for Weekend Brunch)

 photo a08_zps567c0718.jpg

Before we knew, the chef rolled out the special portable carving station where the beef is freshly sliced in front of diners.

 photo a09_zps1810d52d.jpg

Yorkshire Pudding, which is baked in small skillet until puffy and golden brown (for Prime Rib Brunch)

 photo a10_zps0c2f8aa7.jpg

Sides - Idaho Mashed Potatoes, Workshire Pudding and the Lawry's Cut (285g for Prime Rib Brunch). Beef was juicy and we had it medium done. It may not be as good as the popular "Wagyu" grade of beef served elsewhere, but the beef here remained juicy and full of "beefiness".

 photo a11_zpsbc8ef1ed.jpg

Grilled Wagyu Quarter Pounder Burger (for Weekend Brunch). We find this so-so only.

 photo a12_zps56e2c94f.jpg

Dessert Sampler (for Weekend Brunch) - Strawberry English Trifle, Blueberry Yoghurt & Lychee Sorbet.

This place is great for a lazy brunch or relaxing dinner. Good service and rather okay steaks.


Lawry's The Prime Rib
#04-01/31,
Mandarin Gallery,
333A Orchard Road


Saturday, October 05, 2013

Taratata Bistrot @ Keong Saik Road


Had our first dinner at Taratata Bistrot not too long ago.

 photo a01_zps434ce0f9.jpg

This bistriot has opened for quite some time over at the ever changing Keong Saik Road which saw many restaurants come and go over the years.

 photo a02_zps3ff81c95.jpg

Thanks to the checkered floors, the entire restaurant has a "Parisian" feel to it.

 photo a03_zps0376bf8b.jpg

Started off our dinner with the Crab salad with mayonnaise and pomelo. Quite refreshing because of the pomelo. They were rather generous with the crab meat too.

 photo a04_zpsbadaa0f3.jpg

French onion soup - Not too salty, and it was pipping hot. Really hot.

 photo a05_zpsb109b8f1.jpg

Pan seared foie gras with caramelized pear - No visit to any French restaurant would be complete without having some foie gras.

 photo a06_zps49410131.jpg

Ordered a glass of red wine, but find the wine only so-so

 photo a07_zpsc5f41435.jpg

Duck confit - The skin is not very crispy, but the duck meat was juicy and flavourful.

 photo a08_zps6013a4f4.jpg

Kurobuta pork tenderloin -The pork was a little bit dry, but still acceptable.

 photo a09_zps7314c346.jpg

Apple pie - We didn't like this dessert. The "crust" was too dry and too much.


Taratata Bistrot
35A Keong Saik Road


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Summer Pavilion @ The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore


Been a long time since we had lunch at Summer Pavilion over at Ritz Carlton. Summer Pavilion has always been one of the Chinese restaurant with excellent service.

 photo a01_zpsbea1fe8d.jpg

These big windows reminded me of the TIE Fighters.

 photo a02_zpsf0022e37.jpg

Summer Pavilion has a very homely feeling to it. The restaurant isn't too big, and the service is great.

 photo a03_zps8a0fe68a.jpg

Chinese Tea and crackers (S$5 per person)

 photo a04_zps64d8dcc6.jpg

Braised Beef Brisket with Turnip (S$8 per portion) - Was yearning for a bowl of white rice to go with the gravy

 photo a05_zps0ca2d4fa.jpg

Double Boiled Soup of the day (S$16 per person) - Something to warm the tummy

 photo a06_zps5ff423de.jpg

Steamed rice skin rolls with shredded pork, mushroom and sze chuan vegetables (S$6 for 3 pieces) - Something different from the normal chee cheong fun. A healthier version. Taste wise, I prefer the unhealthy ones. Hehe

 photo a07_zpsae638d10.jpg

Poached live sea whelk (S$S$25 per 100g - S$125 for 500g) - Everyone was looking at our table when it was served. I guess not many people will order seafood for lunch. Really glad to have ordered this, as the meat was sweet and tender.

 photo a08_zpse89d8923.jpg

Steamed pork and prawn dumplings with mushrooms (S$5.20 for 4 pieces)

 photo a09_zps4a214e2a.jpg

Deep-fried crab meat puff with bacon, golden mushrooms and onion (S$S$2.50 per piece) - Something we won't order the next time. A bit too dry and underwhelm.

 photo a11_zps6d5e1614.jpg

Mango Sago (S$10) and Almond Tea (S$10)


Summer Pavilion
3rd Floor,
The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore,
7 Raffles Avenue


Saturday, August 17, 2013

MASA Steak & Hamburg @ Robertson Walk


Everyone who like eating beef knows that Japanese grade beef are the world's best. And that is why a Japanese restaurant serving steaks and hamburgs would usually not go wrong.

 photo a01_zpsc151d199.jpg

Heard many good reviews about the juicy hamburgs served here in Masa, so we made our way down here on a Sunday early evening. Most of the diners here are Japanese, but the service staffs are locals. One unique characteristic here is that you keep hearing the "slapping" sound from the kitchen, and apparently that is the sound made when the chef is trying to "slap" the beef hamburg into shape.

 photo a02_zps0ea3392a.jpg

Iced-Matcha Tea

 photo a03_zpsb0ed0114.jpg

Nama Yasai (S$12) - Stick Vegetables with Soy Bean Paste Dip Sauce. Since we are having lot's of meat later, it will be appropriate to have some veges as starters.

 photo a04_zps531e4af7.jpg

Shrimp Ajillo (S$12) - Sautéed Shrimp in Olive Oil with Garlic and Red Chilli. We were scared off by the oil. Too much olive oil here.

 photo a05_zpsc173f326.jpg

Baked Onion Soup (S$14). It was very hearty. I think they did a wonderful version of the onion soup.

 photo a06_zps38b9ea1c.jpg

Rice (S$3)

 photo a07_zpse1564a2e.jpg

Original Sauce - the sauce had a tangy kick to it.

 photo a08_zpsc21d3978.jpg

Masa Combo (S$58) - Hamburg Steak and Bite-Sized cube cut steak. This is the smaller 200g hamburg steak with steak cube. The steak was pretty tender, but the hamburg stole the show.

 photo a09_zpse6049d93.jpg

MASA Hamburg (S$38 for 300g) - Here is another order of the 300g hamburg. As you can see, the outer layer of the hamburg is slightly crisp and cooked, while the middle is really juicy and pink. This got to be best hamburg we had ever. It was so juicy and flavourful. Highly recommended to all who love Japanese beef hamburg. This would really put all hamburger restaurants to shame.

 photo a10_zps2e37666a.jpg

Wasanbon Panna Cotta (S$8) - We were too full, but insisted on ordering dessert. And we didn't regret. This was creamy and had a nice caramel syrup.


MASA Steak and Hamburg
#01-03,
Robertson Walk
11 Unity Street