Li Bai @ Sheraton Towers

With all the brand new restaurants opening every week, it's easy to forget the consistent good ones in town. Li Bai is one where the food are pretty consistent and it is tucked away at Sheraton Hotel in the quiet Newton area but still very near the CBD.





We are spoilt by the decos of other beautiful restaurants, and find the deco here tired looking, and a bit outdated too. Not sure if they are planning a revamp of their entire restaurant soon.



The centre piece is a large piece of jade-like plaque on each table. The Chinese loves Jade as it symbolises fortune and there is also another saying that wearing jade helps to absorbs the negative "substance" in the body.



As per most Chinese restaurant, iced and warm water are on the house.



The waitress place a plate of crispy taro chips on our table. The chips were house-made and was not oily like those pre-packaged ones. It was sliced very thinly, in fact so thin I cut my tongue while eating them.



Starter was Prawn Salad with Crunchy Water Chestnut (S$8 per serving). The water chestnut looks like scallops. The texture of the crunchy juicy water chestnut went well with the prawns. But it was very small and I finished it in 2 bites.



I like their Hot & Sour Soup (S$10) but not so much on their Chicken Soup (S$10). Perhaps the weather is cold these days, so spicy soups tend to suit my tastebuds more.



Really really enjoyed their Beef fillet steak (S$12 per piece per person) . It was juicy yet tender, but not overly tender. Li Bai's beef fillet has a unique seasoning which differs from other Chinese restaurant. Could eat 10 pieces of this in 1 seating.



Another favourite from our table - Stir Fried Crystal Hor Fun with Crab Roe (S$18 for small) . The Hor Fun is not your usual type, as it is made crystal clear much like the skin of Soon Kuey. The chef was generous with the crab roe, and we had huge chunks of crab roe with every spoonful of the hor fun.

As this is a weekly special, I am not sure if it is still available this week.



A surprise hit - Crispy red bean pancake (S$12 for small) . Although this is quite an oily dish, but I suspect they used pork lard to dry this pancake, which results in the oil being very very fragrant (and sinful). The red bean paste was smooth and not too sweet. A must order.



Heard they also serve good dim sum too, and this gives me another excuse to come revisit Li Bai again in the near future.


Li Bai
39 Scotts Road
Ground Floor,
Sheraton Towers

Procacci @ Customs House

I have been to Florence in Italy, but I never saw Procacci while there. Maybe it's the Christmas season and they were closed for that week.





Procacci has a looong loooong history. Opened in Florence in 1885, Procacci is one of the few gourmet shops in Italy which specialised in truffle. But what made them famous was their panini tartufati – soft rolls smeared with fragrant truffle salsa. Unfortunately, it's still not available here in Singapore.




Sitting al-fresco is a good idea when there is no noisy YOG concerts or when the weather is cooler. The view outside is also better. However, we chose to sit inside as it was more quiet and cooler during a warm Wednesday evening.




Free iced water is served here. This is Procacci's first ever shop outside of Europe. And Singapore's outlet actually follows their one and only Italian full restaurant in Vienna, Austria and no their gourmet shops concept in Italy.




The bread is quite dull, but as I was hungry, had no problems finishing it. The olive dip was really good.




The restaurant was pretty quiet in the inside, but was already full and reserved outside.




Had a serving of Truffled Potato Soup (S$15) . The soup may taste ordinary, but I was hungry and cold that day, so I was pretty much satisfied with this warm soup. The restaurant did not stinge on the truffle oil. Quite robust.



Capellini, caviar, truffle oil (S$50) - Chilled pasta with caviar and truffle oil. Gunther's still make the best version, but Procacci has almost double the portion of Gunter's. Taste was good.



Classic Osso Buco, saffron risotto (S$35) - The big bone is the bone marrow and is from the veal's shank bone. Very very tender and flavourful. This was recommended by the serving staff. The risotto was also nicely executed together with the aroma of the saffron.



I didn't quite like the Milanese-style breaded veal (S$30) . No doubt the veal is tender, but I think the chef over fried the crumbs till there was some "burnt" smell and taste to some part of the veal.



Price is not cheap, but the food is quite good. I am waiting for them to introduce their panini tartufati which made them famous in the first place. Menu is limited now as they will only have a full menu in September.


Procacci
1st Floor
Customs House,
70 Collyer Quay

Quan Com Pho @ Le Van Huu, Hanoi Vietnam

Was in Hanoi, Vietnam recently for some meetings. Meetings are boring, and what's worse is that the Convention Centre is our "jail" for almost 5 days. From morning till evening.



I was told the centre was designed with the world famous Dalong Bay in mind. The roof looks like the waves along the bay.



Oh, managed to take a photo of Mrs Clinton as she walked passed us with her secret service agents. She's a real head turner.

It's well known that the former First Lady turned State Secretary is the most powerful woman in America, and probably around the world.



The only tour we had was in our mini bus. Round and round the Opera House, numerous lakes and rows and rows of shophouses.



But of course, we managed to sneak out one night to enjoy an authentic Vietnamese dinner. It was through recommendations that we came to this very clean and quiet restaurant in Vietnam.



Compare to the ones served at hotels, the Vietnamese Spring Rolls here are amazingly light, sweet and juicy. Something so light can actually taste so good. And it's light years ahead of what we have here in Singapore.



Vietnamese "Ngoh Hiong" with pork and some veges. The skin is a mixture of beancurd skin and rice rolls. It's crispy and juicy.



Braised Brinjal. Nothing special. The sauce resembles those of the Hotplate Tofu we have here.


The signature dish - Grilled Pork with crispy rice rolls. The rice rolls are a bit salty and is rolled into a ball and deep fried. The result is crispy in the outside and chewey inside. The pork was also very good. No porky smell and taste here. This could be a meal by itself with meat and rice. A must order.



Each pot of rice is cooked in ceramic bowls over charcoal. Each pot is suppose to be shared by 2, but the portion is good enough for 4.



Forgot what this vegetable soup was. It was quite tasteless.



I like this a lot too. Crispy tofu balls. Tofu is mashed and some herbs are added before batter dipped and fried till crisp.



It's amazing that compared to the other more expensive meals we had in Hanoi, this was the one which surprised me the most. Pretty cheap and big portions. And everything here is clean too.


Quan Com Pho
29 Le Van Huu
Hanoi,
Vietnam

Fatboy's The Burger Bar @ Mohamed Sultan Road

Touted as "The Coolest Burger Joint in Town", Fatboy's Burgers first opened at Upper Thomson Road and now sells 190 burgers on weekends.



It's 2nd outlet is situated along the rows of pubs in Mohamed Sultan Road, where beer drinkers will be able to induldge in a burger or 2 after their pubbing sessions (though it's hard to believe one isn't enough).



No air-con here, so best to come during cool evenings or night time. Fatboy's actually share this premise with some other stalls inside. So this is not strictly for burger eaters.



Just like any kopitiam, you go to the counter, order and pay money. After that your burger will be made fresh and on the spot, before being delivered to your table.



Fat Bastard (Single patty version) - Beef patty, bacon, cheese, fried egg and homemade BBQ sauce on a Sesame seed bun. Together with fries, this makes a very very fullfilling meal. Best shared among 2 people.

The beef patty was moist and juicy. But the other ingredients are pretty much quite average.


Fatboy's The Burger Bar
18 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01

Ruyi @ Resorts World Sentosa

In Resorts World Sentosa, the only place you can get a meal for less than 5 dollars is inside the casino where the food are sold at discounted prices (for example a bowl of Braised Beef Noodles costs only S$3.50 after discounts inside the casino). Outside, it's another story.



The 2nd cheapest option available here is Ruyi, a new fast food themed Chinese eatery opened by the Tung Lok Group. It is located just outside of the casino, so non-gamblers can also access this eatery.

Ordering is just like how McDonald's operates - Queue up, order, pay and wait for your food all at the same counter.



No ceramic bowls and spoons here. Everything is just like what you expect from a takeaway counters, except that here there are seats. The same paper containers are used for soups and rice/noodles, but portions are quite small for one serving of rice and noodles.



Seaweed Egg Flower Chicken Soup S$3.90 (left) and Hot & Sour Soup S$3.90 (right). We like the latter much better due to its tanginess and spiciness. The Seaweed soup was a bit too mild.



Ruyi Fried Rice S$6.20 was good and would satisfied most hungry diners.



A surprise hit was this Zha Jiang Mian (Stewed Minced Pork Noodles) S$6.90. I had tried some pretty bad versions in food courts and restaurants, but this was one of the rare few times where I actually enjoyed this mainland China staple.



The eatery is small, and quite crowded during meal times.

Do try the Zha Jiang Mian next time if you were to visit this fast food chain.


Ruyi
Resorts World Sentosa
Festive Walk,
26 Sentosa Gateway
#B1-222/223
http://ruyi-anytime.com/index.php

Taste Paradise @ ION Orchard

After trying so many Dim Sums in Singapore over the past few years, when I came across quite a few blogs raving about how good the Dim Sums at Taste Paradie were, I made it a point to come here for lunch.



Heard about the long queues during weekends, so came here during weekday lunch.



I can never get tired looking at these huge life sized paintings of the various Emperors from different dynasties eras. Though they do look eerie now given that this is the 7th Month.



Our first dish was the XO Carrot Cake (S$7.80). I find it just okay and pretty average.



Fried Spring Rolls (3 for 3.80) - It was unique as it had roasted duck pieces inside, machiam like a deep fried Peking Duck roll. Nice.



Crackling Pork (S$12.80) - I love biting into the crackling crispy roast pork skin with juicy pork. The version here doesn't fail.



Steamed Cod Fish (S$4.20) - I wonder if the served us the wrong thing, but there is nothing "cod fish" in this... can't taste the cod....



Siew Mai (S$4.80) - Very good version. Juicy and plump.




Steamed Beef Balls (S$3.80) - I will avoid ordering beef balls in all restaurants given that all of them loves to add coriander leaves inside.



Char Siew Buns (S$3.90) - Bao skin is thin and fluffy, pork fillings are delicious.



Fried Pork Buns (S$3.80) - One of the few Chinese restaurants in Singapore to serve this crispy and juicy dish...



The meat fillings inside is savoury and juicy, while the outside skin is crispy and slightly charred.



Steamed Custard Buns (S$4.20)



Runny glisttering egg yolk custard flowing out from the white buns.



Chee Cheong Fun with Shrimps (S$5.50) - Pretty ordinary.



Har Gao (S$4.80) - Not sure why this was the last to arrive. But the prawns fillings are pretty sweet and tasty. Skin's thin too.

My verdict is that this is indeed one of the best Dim Sum place in Singapore. Will come back more often.


Taste Paradise
2 Orchard Turn
#04-07
ION Orchard