Been eating quite a bit of Korean lately, especially since many Korean chicken joints have set foot in SG. Many are doing brisk business with crowds and queues at peak dining hours. My most recent visits were to Chicken Up at Century Square, and Ssiksin Chicken at NEX.

Ssiksin Chicken & Snowman Desserts

This Korean chicken joint is situated together with the Daessiksin 大食神 Korean BBQ under the MOF shop space. Its tiny dining area gets filled up fast during dinner hours. The menu offers several fried chicken options and a couple of Korean specialties for variety.Our party of 3pax ordered 6pcs of fried chicken (3 flavors) and a Bulgogi for sharing. Ohsamdak Bulgogi $35++, spicy marinated pork belly, chicken meat and squid rings with Korean rice cakes, cabbages and pumpkin slices. We all loved eating this dish, it's real spicy, meat was well marinated and flavorful, the sauce was yummy.For the fried chicken, we had the Original Fried Chicken ($8++ for 2pcs), Seasoned Chicken and Soy Sauce Chicken ($9++ for 2pcs). We all agreed that the Seasoned and Soy Sauce chicken were nice while the Original ones were overcooked and hard. I personally liked the Soy Sauce ones better than Seasoned ones.We ended the meal with Bingsu again. The desserts here are sold under the Snowman Desserts brand name. The Melon Bingsu $14++, is similar to Chicken Up one, not as tasty due to the lower quality rock melon used but otherwise tasted exactly the same. My conclusion is, I shall stay away from such Bingsu in future as I don't really like the milky shaved ice.Ssiksin Chicken fared better than Chicken Up overall, in my opinion, I will go back again for their Soy sauce chicken and spicy Bulgogi.

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/korean-chicken-craze-chicken-up-ssiksin.html

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/06/goodwood-park-durian-fiesta-taiwan.html

Evil sistas food adventures continues, and our latest haunt is Coffee Lounge at Goodwood Park Hotel. There is a Durian Fiesta promo going on (30 May - 2 Aug 2015) and special durian pastries are offered as part of the Dessert buffet spread, on top of regular desserts, for daily Lunch and Dinner sessions.

A couple of dining options are available during the Durian Fiesta:

- $35.80++ per person (Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries only)

- $28.80++ per person (Top-up of Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries w/ any ala carte main course order)

- $49.80++ per adult, $24.90++ per child (Taiwan Porridge A La Carte Buffet, inclusive of Dessert Buffet w/ Durian Pastries)Greedy us opted for the Taiwan Porridge buffet with the Durian Dessert buffet option. The Taiwanese porridge at Goodwood Park have been an all-time-favorite for decades, and I've finally got the opportunity to savor it, together with my fave durian pastries!

The porridge buffet menu includes unlimited order of Sweet potato porridge, and an ala carte selection of 31 Savory dishes to go with it. We ordered over 10+ items from the 8 different categories, and really stuffed ourselves silly with yummy food.Shredded bamboo shoots w/ chilli oilSalted eggs & Salted fishDeep-fried pomfret w/ black soya sauceSauteed prawns w/ dried chilliBaby squid in sweet oyster sauceHome style tofuPrawn paste chickenFried omelette w/ chye pohPork w/ preserved vegetablesFrench beans w/ dried shrimpsBroccoli w/ garlic

All of the dishes were very good, my personal fave are the crunchy and refreshing Bamboo shoots, crispy Pomfret fish, the fresh and mildly spicy Prawns, sweet and crispy Baby squid and the flavorful bite-size Prawn paste chicken. There are several dishes that I'm still keen to try but couldn't make space in my stomach anymore.

And so, we made our way to the Dessert buffet station and check things out.Live station á la minute Durian PancakesDurian Mousse CakeDurian PuffsDurian Chocolate Wafer RollsDurian Cappuccino CakeDurian MacaronsTau Suan & Red bean soup hot dessertsNonya kuehsIn addition to the usual dessert spread, 7 Durian creations are available;

- D24 Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread (one serving per guest, or ala carte at $7.50++ per serving)

- Durian Macaron

- Mini Durian Chocolate Wafer Roll

- Durian Cappuccino Cake

- Durian Mousse Cake

- Durian Puffs

- Live station á la minute Durian Pancakes

As I'm already feeling quite full, I only took the 6 durian pastries from the buffet station, and ordered the last item through the waiting staffs.Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread

My fave items were the Durian Pancake, Chocolate Wafer Roll, Durian Cappuccino Cake and the Macarons. The Durian Mousse Cake and the Durian Puffs which weren't chilled anymore, tasted quite disgusting. That is not the case if I buy them frozen from the Deli, and kept them fresh in the freezer. I'm also a little disappointed with the Durian Ice Cream w/ Rainbow Bread, the colorful bread was really dry and we ended up only eating the ice cream which was very delicious.

The Durian Fiesta doesn't just end here, well at least not for me. I bought more durian goodies from the Deli (the bakery beside the main lobby), and took advantage of my UOB credit card's 15% discount. Some of the items were bought earlier, but I shall share all of them here.Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cakes ($11.75 each)Durian Puffs (2 for $8.55/ 6 for $21.40/ 20 for $51.35)Durian Macarons ($22.45 for 6pcs)The 20pcs Durian puffs are a must buy for me every year (they have a temp. kiosk at Compass Point yearly). The puffs are one of the best in town, with durian cream filling of at least 1 inch thick, and it's always satisfying to have them with warm beverages. The Macarons are new creation for this year, the chocolate shells matches the durian center perfectly, but they're quite sweet though. And lastly, the photogenic Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cakes tasted as excellent as they looked.

Although a tad pricey, I feel they are an occasional indulgence I have no qualms about paying for once a year.

Full review & more pics - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/06/king-crab-buffet-dinner-at-momiji_12.html

Evil sista saw a value-for-money King Crab buffet ad on social media, and initiated an impromptu dinner on a weekday. We picked the City Square Mall outlet as it is conveniently located along the NEL. The Jap Buffet restaurant on the 5th floor was pretty huge, spanning over 3 shop spaces.Unlimited supply of King crabs, Snow crabs and also Sapporo beer (till 1930h) at only $39.80++ for weekdays. Full payment must be made at the cashier before entering the restaurant.The dining area is spacious but table to table spaces is very tight. Buffet spread occupies a third of the restaurant space, consisting of 150 selections of Japanese food, sushi, sashimi, chilled seafood, teppanyaki, shabu shabu, agemono, yakitori etc. etc. And the dessert spread includes Haagen Dazs ice cream, chocolate fondue and waffle making station, on top of the usual cakes, pastries and fruits spread. Check it out here...The varieties were definitely impressive, but how was the taste? Hmm...I would say go for the chilled seafood, fried foods (agemono), chawanmushi in the steamer, sushi & sashimi, and refrain from touching the cooked food. The cooked food were cold, like they've been sitting under the aircon for over 4hrs at least, tastes awful!

Oh by the way, the DIY waffles and the ice cream were awesome...save space for them!Cold and disgusting!Not bad, chicken wings were niceNot badSeafood quite fresh, avoid the tofu!Not badTastelessNot freshTastelessGood!Good!Thumbs up!

Even though the food here is more misses than hits, there are some gems to be found and are rather worthy of the value-for-money price tag. Just come with the right expectations (keep them reasonably low) and whack the King crabs, sashimi, beer and Haagen Dazs ice cream!

Momiji King Crab buffet prices and restaurant info:

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/06/sunday-brunch-at-catalunyaits-party-time.html

The 3rd birthday celebration of the month, was a formal celebration with friends who mattered. The birthday girl decides where she desires to dine, and my choice for this year is Catalunya. A Spanish fine dining establishment located at the Fullerton bay waterfront, along the Marina bay area, overlooking the iconic MBS.We had advanced reservation and was allocated a cozy booth seat. Booth seats are ideal if you don't have to get out very often to go get food, for Sunday brunches it's better to request for regular table seats.Assorted breads were served at every table, they were good but we refrained from having too much of these so we could fully enjoy the extensive Appetizers spread.Let's take a tour around the impressive Appetizer/Starters station. The stations are divided into several sections, showcasing authentic northeastern Spanish specialties. They are Charcuterie, Cheeses, Salads, Bakery, Stews, Fish & Fresh Juices stations.And that's not all, we got several single portions of eggs and sandwiches served directly to our table. What?!Deconstructed Spanish omelette, onion confit topped w/ layers of egg yolk sabayon & potato foamScramble egg w/ potato & chorizoPa amb tomàquet (a.k.a Tomato toast) &
Bikini sandwich w/ Iberian ham, cheese & truffle

The eggs and sandwiches were rather tasty, so were the myriads of appetizers. We deliberately consume only sample-sized portions of everything as we knew there will be a SHOW coming, when the main courses are served (the 2nd part of the brunch experience).The SHOW! began with a loud blast of lively carnival music and servers streaming out of the kitchen with pipping hot dishes on their hands. We were caught by surprise even though we knew it was coming, I wasn't quick enough to capture it on my camera as we're seated very close to the starting point. Anyways, we got to take pics of the two Spanish signature dishes that kicked started the main courses service.

The Seafood Paella, is the most heavenly Spanish rice I've ever eaten, ever! It has a divine smokey aroma, much like our Chinese fried rice wok hei, and was loaded with generous portions of shrimps, clams, squid and pork ribs. No other paella ever comes close after I've eaten this! We gladly accepted a second serving when they asked.The next dish, Salt Crusted Whole Fish, was served camera worthy with flames burning on the rock salt. However, this dish did not wow us as much as its looks, it tasted kinda bland with just a simple drizzle of olive oil over it.Brace yourself as the most important of all Spanish main courses is about to be served. Presented with a bang, of vibrant music and dancing staffs, the roast Suckling Pig 'Segovian' Style (a.k.a Cochinillo Asado).The suckling pig was then cut swiftly using a plate, before smashing it onto the floor. Spanish tradition of smashing the plate onto the floor after cutting a suckling pig, is a sign of good service! They even timed the smashing to coincide with the music...cool!As the suckling pig is an expensive dish, we were only served one portion for every 2-3 diners to share. The meat was so soft and tender that it literally dissolved inside our mouth, plus the skin was ultra crispy, thumbs up!The final part (of the 3 parts) of the brunch experience, was the Sweet Ending. This time I managed to capture the crowd carrying the SHOW signs. They've gotten a few kids diners to participate in it.The desserts of the day were paraded twice in front of us before being placed at the dessert corner. We helped ourselves to the enticing looking sweet treats.Despite their looks, these desserts were all overly sweet and cloying for our SG palates. Couldn't help but felt a tinge of disappointment for these lovely looking desserts. We still found a favorite item though, the Lemon Meringue Tart was good, the sourness of the citrus fruit kept the sweetness at bay.Sunday Brunch with Passion at Catalunya, has live up to its hype of being the best brunch experience in town! We enjoyed our brunch experience immensely. It gave us not just good food and great service, but also a completely exceptional experience, very unlike the usual fine dining places we've been to! This is definitely worth every penny we paid, and I can foresee that we'll be back again once our pockets are deep enough to finance another visit!

Brunch price - $98++ (include free flow juices)
add $48++ for free flow alcoholic drinks & coffee/tea

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/06/dinner-at-tcc-bugis-junction.html

Last birthday celebration of the month, we are going to enjoy half price dining at TCC using my member birthday voucher. We decided on the Bugis outlet as my friend wanted to buy stuffs from Pandora.

It has been a while since we last visited this branch, the restaurant had been through a complete face lift!As we were all hungry, we placed orders pretty quickly after reading the menus.

Some drink to quench our thirst while waiting for the food to be served. I had the Lychee & Rock Melon Melody, which was sweet and refreshing. My friends picked the Iced Pinktrus Passion Tea, a blend of grapefruit with passion fruit. We have mixed review over this fruity tea probably due to a slight bitter aftertaste from the grapefruit peels, some like it some don't.Next up were the Soup, Salad and Sides.

Baby Crayfish Salad, fresh greens with chunks of crayfish meat topped with chili mayo dressing and tobiko roe. This was as delish as we remembered it to be.Spicy Hot Wings, these were passable, no wow factor though. Crispy Soft Shell Crab, I liked this dish better cos of the tangy dip which goes really well with the crab.My friend's Seafood Escapade soup, no complains from her.My Oven Roasted Spring Chicken, was excellently cooked to perfection, meat was moist, tender and nicely flavored with brown juice. Very good!My friends had pasta, Seafood Aglio Olio which was an all time favorite dish from TCC, and Clack & Clams Crayfish Pasta, lavished with generous amount of baby crayfish and fresh clams. Both were a hit with their diners.We were filled to the brim by the time we're done with our main courses. So we decided not to order desserts. Food and service level here had maintained at expected standards. We will be back again!