Popped by Canton Paradise @ I12 Katong one weekday afternoon for some dim sum to chase away the weekday blues. I honestly would have preferred Wah Lok but didn't quite fancy jostling with the CBD crowd and it definitely helped that the porridge at Canton Paradise had a certain allure. Just for the record, as at time of writing, I've been to Canton Paradise a total of 9 times in 3 months, but this is probably going to be my only post on Canton Paradise (I am usually too famished during lunch to bother taking photos). And yes, I'm that crazy about dim sum.

The place is huge and sports a rather "ancient Chinese" decor with its uneven brick walls and wooden decorative panels. If you can stand the cold air conditioning, ask for a booth seat (2-4 pax) because the other tables are spaced a tad too close for comfortable conversation.



BBQ Combination - We had the combination platter of BBQ pork belly with honey sauce and roasted pork, of which the former was sinfully better with a high fat to meat ratio and smothered in gooey honey marinade. I personally like to eat the BBQ pork belly with the salted peanuts that are served alongside. Makes for a nice contrast in both areas of taste and texture. Unfortunately, the BBQ pork's skin wasn't crisp enough and I think they need to add in a wee bit more salt for flavouring.



Steamed Cheong Fun with BBQ Pork - The cheong fun featured translucent but rather limp skin with a reasonable amount of BBQ pork filling. Decent but no great shakes. And remember to eat immediately when served, lest it turns cold and clammy.

Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Fresh, crunchy prawns coupled with translucent but mildly elastic skin. Pretty decent.

Steamed Pork Dumplings - The "porkyness" of the siew mai wasn't too overwhelming and the fat to lean meat ratio was reasonable. As with most dim sum items, eat them while they are hot.

Century Egg Porridge with Lean Meat - I personally think the porridge, especially the 皮蛋瘦肉粥, at Canton Paradise is quite good and this is one of the main reasons why I keep coming back. Consistently sticky with visible rice grains and a subtle, savoury aftertaste. And that's coming from someone who doesn't take century egg. The meatball porridge is nice as well but a little on the bland side.

Baked BBQ Honey Pork Bun - This is reminiscent of the one I had at Tim Ho Wan in HK. Unfortunately, the standards did not quite match up. For starters, the base was overly oily and the BBQ pork wasn't gooey enough. Decent but try the real thing from Tim Ho Wan when it opens in Singapore!

If my memory serves me correct, the bill for this lunch came up to around $50, which is pretty much the range you pay for decent quality dim sum these days. However the staff did seem a little overwhelmed with the place running at almost full capacity, which naturally led to slower service and forgotten requests.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/03/canton-paradise.html

Another CNY gathering at Imperial Treasure, this time with a couple of my friends on a weekday evening.

Appetiser - It used to be walnuts but probably due to cost cutting measures, the appetiser has been changed to cashew nuts. Still good though, just not as good.

Salmon Yusheng - And the obligatory yu sheng to toss for good fortune in the year of the snake. Decent with a nice citrus taste to it but pretty expensive for a for a 6 pax portion ($39++).

Old Yellow Cucumber Soup - The old yellow cucumber soup (老黄瓜汤) came served in a yellow cucumber with its center partially scrapped out and was choke full of mushroom and chicken slices. Very tasty and a great way to start off the meal.

BBQ Combination - We opted for a combination of roast duck, BBQ pork and roast pork for this platter. Apparently geese is now a rare commodity in Singapore as AVA has banned their import, hence the choice of duck.

While the roast pork had a crackling skin coupled with a nice fat to meat ratio, the BBQ pork wasn't quite my cup of tea as it was salty instead of sweet and the meat was a little too soft for my liking. The roast duck was good as well, coming across as moist with a crisp layer of skin.

Sauteed Scallops with Italian White Truffle Oil - My absolute favourite dish but this time round, the truffle oil seems to be a little lacking and scallops sizes have shrunk while prices have shot up. Definitely not a good combination! But still good and something I would definitely splurge on.

Sauteed Beancurd with Mushroom - Whilst I appreciated the generous amounts of mushroom and the savouriness of the beancurd, it wasn't as silky as I expected it to be. But still one of the better beancurds out there.

Pea Shoot with Bamboo Shoot - A simple yet well executed dish with the pea shoots not overcooked and the bamboo shoots crunchy.

Inclusive of 4 desserts to share, the total bill for the 6 of us was about $372, which is honestly a little pricey. But food quality is still apparent though standards seem to have dipped a little. I'll probably drop by after Chinese New Year to see how things fare then.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/02/imperial-treasure-part-viii.html

The idea was to do a comparison between our long time favourite steak house, Morton's, and the relatively new entrant to Singapore's F&B scene, Ruth's Chris. And so one Saturday evening saw the both of us dropping by Ruth's Chris for dinner.

Located where Restaurant Bologna used to be at Marina Mandarin Singapore, the interior hasn't changed much since the days of Bologna - crisp table clothes coupled with leather backed seats and wooden panels adorned with art. The window seats offer you a view of a huge water feature wall and of course the warmth of natural sunlight (if you arrive early enough). This place is decidedly more "upclass" and stifling than Mortons, which I personally like for its casual, convivial atmosphere.To be fair, the place was pretty much empty save for another 2 tables besides ours. So that could be a contributing factor to the "over attention" from the wait staff.

Complimentary Bread - Just your regular soft baguette served warm, nothing like the onion loaf from Mortons. But still something decent to keep your hunger pangs at bay whilst you await your orders. Morton's 1, RC 0.

Sizzlin Blue Crab Cakes - A little dry on the outside but moist within, the crab cake was chock full of crab meat and topped with capsicum, which gave it a nice contrasting flavour and texture. Personally I thought it was nice just that the crab taste was a little lacking. I'll rate this as a tie with Morton's as I really liked the use of capsicum here. Morton's 1, RC 0.

Petit Filet Oscar Style - The petit filet was 210g, which was a decent size considering I ordered it "Oscar Style", which simply meant an addition of asparagus and a lump of crab cake smothered in Bearnaise sauce (all for a mere $15++ extra). Now if only Morton's had such an option. That aside, the steak boasted tender, juicy meat that was a little crisp along the edges and well seasoned with salt. Very good! I'm gonna have to go with RC on this one as the filet marginally edges out the filet mignon from Morton's. And it definitely helps that RC has the option of an add on at a reasonable price. Morton's 1, RC 1.

Barbecued Shrimp - The BBQ shrimp were crunchy and decent sized but still a little smaller than what Morton's serves up (even after the downgrade in size). But what it lacks in size, it makes up in quantity (10 shrimps vs 6 from Morton's). The sauce reminds me of a creamy, garlicky concoction that has a mild burning sensation towards the end probably due to the copious amounts of garlic. In short, either you love it or you hate. And we loved it. But as Morton's Shrimp Alexander is vastly different, I am hard pressed to determine which dish has the edge. Morton's 1, RC 1.

Crème Brûlée - This is apparently a signature of Ruth's Chris. Though good, it wasn't anything I would go out of my way to order again. The vanilla bean custard base came across as creamily smooth whilst the caramel top was nicely and evenly torched. Portions are good for 2.

Warm Apple Crumb Tart - Huge, nicely sweet yet tart Granny Smith apple slices encrusted by a moist, fragrant tart shell and topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. Only minor gripes I had was that the tart was a little too soft for my liking and that the apple slices were a little too big for comfort. Having said that, this was still an excellent dessert and we preferred this over Morton's Upside Down Apple Pie. Morton's 1, RC 2.

Portions are a bit smaller at Ruth's Chris but prices are slightly cheaper, as compared to Morton's. Even so, dinner for the both of us (without any drinks) cost to the tune of $285. Food wise, based on the dishes we tried, Ruth's Chris has a slight edge. However, factor in the more casual, laid back ambience and service of Morton's and its a tie. But maybe you think otherwise?

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/01/ruths-chris-steak-house.html.

It was a pretty last minute decision to have lunch at Ember and that explained the less than ideal seats (and photographs) we got. But nonetheless, lunch at Ember is always a happy time as the restaurant has never failed me in terms of consistency and service.

Complimentary Bread - What can I say? Excellent as usual. But as I was nursing a sore throat, I limited myself to seconds.

Pan Roasted Scallop with Parma Ham, Citrus and Tarragon Vinaigrette - Good, but still a little soft in my humble opinion. Would have ordered my usual foie gras but wasn't in the mood for any liver.

Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom & Smoked Bacon Ragout, Truffle Yuzu Butter Sauce - Although the Marinated Cod with Black Miso, Sweet Peas and Herbed Potatoes is the one that usually runs out, I personally prefer the Chilean Seabass for its technique and outstanding flavours. Never fails to put brighten up my day although I'm not much of a fish lover.

Crispy Caramelized Pear Tart with Homemade Baileys Ice Cream - It was a toss up between the apple tart and the pear tart for desserts but we ordered the latter as we preferred a flaky, buttery ending to our meal as opposed to a flaky, caramelized one. I just wish they made this available in ala carte for lunch.

$93 for a great meal for 2. Worth every cent. I'll definitely remember to make my reservations early.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2012/12/ember-part-vi.html

Had an invitation to try out La Brezza's festive menu and being the cheapo person that I am, unceremoniously accepted. The restaurant used to sport a Mediterranean theme and menu, but has since switched to serving up Italian cuisine in a more sombre yet sufficiently casual environment. The lights are purposely kept dim to induce a relaxing atmosphere.

Martina Franca Style Cured Pork, Baby Onion, Chanterelle Mushroom - The cured pork was nice and dry without coming across as too salty whilst the chanterelle mushrooms were savoury but a little too soft for my liking.

Asparagus Soup, Black Truffle Cream, Toasted Sicilian Almonds - I am a huge fan of asparagus and truffle but somehow this dish was let down by the execution. There was just too much truffle cream in it to actually make out the taste of asparagus. All I could taste was the richness of the truffle cream, which would have been well and good if this dish was black truffle cream soup. But the end product was still undeniably tasty, courtesy of the truffle cream of course.

Homemade Tagliatelle, Cold Water Lobster, Lobster Cream, Fennel - Aside from the tagliatelle being a wee bit overcooked (probably due to how thin it was), this dish was great. Fresh and crunchy lobster coupled with a nice yet not dauntingly rich lobster cream base. Seconds anyone?

Pan Fried Seabass "Crazy Water" Style Braised in Tomato, Endive, Sea Salt Water - Acqua Pazza or "crazy water" in Italian, apparently originated from the fisherman on the Neapolitan coast who used sea water together with tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil to sautée their catch. I appreciated the story and found the fish quite interesting in the sense that it tasted uncannily like the pan fried version of Teochew styled steamed fish (weird I know!). The lightness of the sourish, mildly sweet broth all pointed in that direction and it was a little surreal eating this.

Sicilian Style Sauteed Veal Chops, Garlic, Anchovies, Pasley, Artichoke Gratin, Potatoes, Onion - Ironically, the star of this dish wasn't the veal but the artichoke gratin, which was nothing short of excellent. Crisp with a cheesy overtone, I finished every little bit of it. That's not to say the veal wasn't good though. It was well sautéed and firmly tender. However the topping didn't quite cut it for me and I resorted to scrapping it off.

Almond Cake Macerated in Rum, Espresso and Chocolate Mousse - And to round up the dinner, we had the Diplomatico, which wasn't anything outstanding but provided a nice bitter sweet ending to the meal.

See all my photos at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2012/12/la-brezza-part-ii-invite.html