myfoodsirens's Profile

I had my first meal at Iggy's when it was still at Regent Hotel and it was great. Now that it has moved to Hilton Hotel, it's time to see what new tricks does Iggy's have up its sleeve =)Unfortunately, I think I went expecting too much. Overall, the meal was nice, but nothing fantastic. Since it's priced at a premium, I was hoping for something more but I can't remember any single dish that's outstanding. Perhaps, only the desserts leave a lasting impression on me. The rest, I can't say the same.…Read More

My quest for crepes in Singapore ends at Keen On Crepes, not that it has the best crepes but cuz it’s the last of the 4 creperies I know that exist on our little island. This is a new creperie that has opened since April 2010 and has quite a low profile so far. Which makes me wonder how long it can survive, given the competitive F&B environment in Singapore, hmm.Like Out of the Pan, these are not the authentic French crepes. More like fusion crepes, filled with spices and homemade legume-based spreads. The crepes are freshly made to order and prices are extremely reasonable (less than $10). Great for a healthy and light meal!To show you how healthy the crepe can be, take a look at this crepe named “Light yet Wholesome” ($5), a hearty wholewheat crepe with egg, cheese, vegetables and pesto.I, on the other hand, didn’t have anything that healthy. Rather than choosing the fixed combinations on the menu, I decided to build my own crepe. Easily done by following these 4 steps: 1. choose a crepe (whole wheat, 7 grains, persian spice); 2. choose a spread (hummus, dhal, egg); 3. choose fillings (chicken, beef, mushroom); and 4. choose toppings (beetroot, cheese, sprouts).Ta-da, here’s my customised crepe: buckwheat crepe with mushrooms, spicy hummus, vegetables and basil pesto ($8)! It tastes surprisingly good, hee.We feel that the crepes here are like Indian roti prata, only much healthier! And I thought I needed to eat two to be full initially (I was very hungry that day, you see) but it’s filling enough! Good value for money, I’ll be back.…Read More

Only recently did I know that there’s a minimum spending of $50 if you wanna make a reservation at Itacho Sushi. Doesn’t that mean a lot of sushi at one go? No wonder there’s usually a long queue outside, besides the fact that there’s always a discount of 50% off some of the sushi!Like this salmon with soy sauce, which was only going for $0.40++ each. 40 cents per sushi, where to find in Singapore?! Of course, don’t expect too much. The cut is very thin and it’s mostly fats without the flesh.The salmon inari sushi ($1.30++ each) has a sweet beancurd skin filled with rice topped with a spicy salmon mixture. Quite tasty!I usually like any tamago ($2.40++) but I find this too dry to be even considered average.Pork chop don with scrambled egg ($12++)! Big portion, small price~Without a doubt, this is what I came to Itacho for. The “supreme sea eel” ($6++), a looooong piece of thin eel hiding a minute ball of rice, which is just my kind of thing. The eel has a perfect melt-in-the-mouth texture, and the seasoning is not too sweet. I reckon I’ll just get multiple plates of this and skip the rest next time!…Read More

With its long opening hours and numerous outlets islandwide, MOF (Ministry of Food) is a handy choice to satisfy the craving for sugar at odd hours. I’m no stranger to their desserts and will always get a few predictable items, like this Macha Kurian ($8.80+) with kanten jelly, fruits, Japanese dumplings and Japanese red bean paste. The soft serve and green tea gelato (additional $2.50+) melt super fast though so remember to eat first, then talk! =)And this matcha soft serve ($6.80+) is my MOF favourite since it has everything I like: a mix of fried imo (sweet potato) and yam, topped with a scoop of black sesame gelato (additional $2.50+). Love the contrast between hot and cold at the same time~…Read More

If you love Japanese cuisine in omakase style, you gotta check out Nagomi! It’s one of my best hidden finds of 2010 and it’s definitely going to be one of my top picks for ”places to recommend for dinner” this year too.This time, the Hokkaido king crab is in season and it’s HUGE. Like seriously, the leg is about the size of my forearm! So naturally sweet, fresh and meaty~Otoshi of burdock and radish was a nice starter; my usual dose of simmered pumpkin from the bowls of cooked food laid out on the counter was good comfort food; ikura don was rich and briny; and I was most impressed with the Japanese tomato with sea salt. Beautifully sweet and juicy, quite unlike any I’ve ever tasted!Then chef prepared the ultimate protein feast! So many different types of fish, from deep fried crispy fish (can’t remember what’s the name) and simmered kinki, to super fresh sashimi (love the plump scallop most!) and grilled fish cheek, oishii!…Read More

Just last week, I had a great Christmas lunch at Spruce. The ambience was nice, the food was decent, and the company was wonderful! Feasting is mandatory during Christmas and we ordered a variety of food: (clockwise from top left) signature Spruce ahi tuna tartar ($21++), tagliatelle with kurobuta pork ($22++), beef short ribs ($29++), steak frites ($34++), roasted kurobuta pork chop ($35++), and marinated soy cod fish ($39++). Everyone enjoyed the food, lovely! I think it’s impossible not to enjoy eating during the festive season, hee.Desserts were slightly disappointing though. I had high hopes for them cuz they look so darn delicious. The Spruce sundae ($15++) was ordinary (Swensen’s does a meaner version easily); double chocolate crunch cake ($12++) was dry and the sea salt caramel filling was too mild to make any impact; and PS Cafe definitely makes a better steamed ginger date pudding ($12++) than Spruce~…Read More

I’m a noob when it comes to Chinese cuisine. Teochew, Cantonese, Sichuan, Hokkien etc, I simply lump them all under the category of “Chinese food”. Now there’s Hing Wa thrown into the mix, a cuisine I’ve frankly never heard of. Until Pu Tien comes into the picture, that is. I’ve heard many good stuff about this rapidly expanding chain of restaurants and finally had a chance to try it for myself with the loved ones for company~I fell in love with this humble dish in Shanghai when I had it for the first time. Pu Tien’s version of spinach with salted egg and century egg ($12.90++) is superb, all thanks to the sweet and flavourful supreme stock!The stir-fried yam ($10.90++) is what made me interested to visit Pu Tien. Coated with a sweet sticky glaze, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these little cubes of carbs didn’t disappoint! So addictive that I pretty much finished this whole dish on my own, haha.Another star dish of the night for us was the homemade beancurd ($8.90++) which had an incredibly smooth and silky texture. So simple, yet so good.I went “I want that” when I saw the claypot sea cucumber with chestnuts ($35.90++) on the menu cuz I love both sea cucumber and chestnuts! Sadly, there’s only 2 or 3 chestnuts in the claypot (as though thrown in as an afterthought) but the sea cucumber was great. Firm, gelatinous and not too rubbery-tough-to-chew~All of us enjoyed our meal here very much, yours truly surprisingly included. The dishes we had were better than decent and the food wasn’t heavy in sodium, which is important to me since I like to eat them “bare” without rice as accompaniment. First it was Restaurant Ten; now it’s Pu Tien… My appreciation of Chinese cuisine is slowly increasing, yay!…Read More

Just a hop, skip and a jump away from Pavé Chocolates is Coccogelo, the latest newcomer on the artisan gelato scene in Singapore.The staff was great, very friendly and geniunely happy to let us sample all the flavours. And I didn’t sense even a teeny-weeny bit of impatience from them even though I took (as usual) a long time to decide on the ultimate flavours to get.I already had my heart set on a triple scoop but the thing is, after trying all the flavours available that day, I only really wanted Pistachio and Dark Chocolate (the rest was so-so to me). Then, my innocent question “there’s no Black Sesame today?” hit jackpot! Turned out that there’s a fresh batch of BS sitting in the kitchen, waiting to be sold the next day. Initially, the lady boss was adament and refused to sell it to me but after much pleading (haha), she relented, yay!It’s rich and intense enough, and the texture is good, very creamy and smooth. So much so that I wish there’s some bits of nuts or something in it to cut through the smoothness. And the melting rate here is a little too high for my liking. Yes yes, I know authentic gelato melts faster because it has less milk fat etc etc but this was way too fast for me. But still, any ice cream/gelato (especially homemade ones) always make me happy!In addition to the above-mentioned flavours, there’s Pina Colada, Strawberry, Coffee, Blueberry Cheesecake, Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, and Sweet Corn with Nutmeg~Flavours change daily so it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time if you want to try a particular flavour. Speaking of which, Coccogelo has some pretty interesting flavours. Blue cheese with Honey, anyone? How about Spiced Apple Curry (which is way too exotic for my tastebuds)? And there was Roasted Honey Pumpkin gelato over the Halloween weekend which I missed, argh!FYI: Get your Piccolo (single scoop), Medio (double scoop) and Grande (triple scoop) for $3.80, $4.80 and $6.80 respectively.…Read More

Yes, it’s that time of the year again. Alba White Truffle season is here!The insane craving that couldn’t go away started after I read ST’s article on it. Many restaurants in Singapore are offering luxurious special menus and so far, I think Otto’s is the best priced. And I may be a little biased here, but I know that I can always count on Otto for a great meal. And I’m glad I wasn’t proven wrong =)The last time I got so excited over an eggy dish was at Bistro Du Vin last year when Chef Marie was in town.Gosh, this scrambled egg with blue swimmer crab ($19++) is to-die-for. Like, seriously. Texture was incredible, smooth and not overtly creamy, with big chunks of sweet crab meat, and the morsels of aromatic funghi added such a lovely burst of intense flavour to it.I get hungry just writing, thinking, and looking at it!I super love the Atlantic cod tagliata with porcini mushroom crust and creamed baby spinach ($40++) as well! The same weighing, shaving and weighing routine for another 2 grams of heaven was done and I had me a huge slab of tender fatty fish that literally melted in my mouth.Desserts was a nice surprise. The crème brulee looks innocently enough, yes? But looks are deceiving. Underneath the layer of caramelized sugar is scrumptiously silky white truffle-scented custard cream! A little sweet, a little savoury, this weird combination actually works.…Read More

With so many new ice cream/gelato parlors popping up in Singapore, it’s been eons since I last ate Scoopz’s ice cream. This small takeaway shop has been around for the longest time ever, maybe about 10 years or so? Though Parkway Parade was my regular hangout place when I was in sec school and JC, I’ve never tried it cuz I wasn’t into ice cream back then, only fast-junk-food haha, and McDonald’s 50 cents ice cream cone was good enough.I finally had a taste of Scoopz’s ice cream a couple of years ago and it has become a must for me to have (more than) a scoopz everytime I swing by the mall =) That’s how good it is!Local flavours are their “thing” so there’s nothing fancy here, just common favourites like chocolate (duh) and vanilla. Tropical fruit flavours are also their specialty, especially durian. All the ice cream it is hand made on freezing pans and the “massaging” results in a texture that’s dense and smooth.After such a long hiatus, I went for 5 (instead of my usual 3) scoops: Avocado, black sesame, jackfruit, strawberry, rum and raisin. Ahh, sugar heaven~What I like best about the ice cream here is that all the flavours are very intense and strong, plus not overly sweet. If that’s not tempting enough, servings are incredibly generous! And $6.90 for these 5 big scoops? Done deal! I hereby challenge you to name me another place that offers such good quality ice cream and fabulous price tags =)…Read More

Slightly disappointed.. That’s what I felt upon leaving the newly opened Clifford Restaurant in Fullerton Bay Hotel. I was expecting lunch to be better than good but well, it left me rather underwhelmed. The setting is top-notch though. High ceiling, modern grandeur decor and a great waterfront view~My starter of compressed watermelon with lobster tail and basil tomato-avocado salad ($22++) turned out to be my favourite dish that day. So clean tasting and refreshing, I love the simplicity of this!The duo Hokkaido sea scallop and Boston lobster carpaccio with black truffles vinaigrette ($28++) was normal-nice, just nothing to write home about.Sigh, I had high hopes for the roasted cod with saffron risotto and parmesan emulsion ($36++) but alas, it was not meant to be. I can handle light dishes but this was far too bland and under-seasoned.Cakes and pastries, step aside. I’m so in the mood for ice cream these days! Made in house daily, 8 flavours were available that day and insanely enough, I tested all 8~Ice cream: vanilla, creme fraiche, mascapone and chocolate.Sorbet: yogurt, coconut, mango lime and apricot. A couple of unfortunate ice crystals detected, and while there’s none that I didn’t like, no particular flavour stood out from the pack either. But if I’ve really got to choose, I’d pick the coconut sorbet again cuz I like its tropical intensity =)At $14++ for 4 small scoops of icy delights, these are not exactly cheap. Then again, premium ambience can be pretty pricey these days.…Read More

Vanilla Bar & Cafe is one of those cozy places where you can just sit back and relax for hours with friends. That’s exactly what we did. And it helps that the cafe smells so nice! The sweet heavenly scent of vanilla in the air makes me wanna stay, haha~pumpkin croquette ($5.90++). I like these a lot, though they are not homemade (I asked) but outsourced (from where, I do not know cuz I stopped asking, LOL). Super thin batter (meaning more pumpkin, yay!), crispy on the outside and so gooey soft on the inside~It’s a good thing that the creamy parmesan prawn linguine ($12.90++) came in a small portion. Otherwise, it’s bound to get too heavy and filling after some time. I found it on the dry side but the prawns were incredibly fresh and crunchy!Fans of the signature vanilla dirt cake ($8.50++), don’t stone me when I say I didn’t like it at all. Sure, it’s creative (layers of crumbled Oreo “soil” and mascarpone cheese, complete with gummy worms for the visual effect) and it makes such a pretty birthday cake to pose with, but it’s too creamy and monotonous, so much so that I wish there’s some real sponge cake in it to spice things up haha.Now this, I like. Molten chocolate cake with French vanilla ice cream ($11.50++). It’s not a lava cake (no flow of molten choc detected), more like an upsized version of the mini cakes from 3 Inch Sin with a pudding-like center that’s so rich, dense and moist! Lovely.…Read More

I always manage to find a new flavour I like at Tom’s Palette. This time, it’s Mocha Mac Nuts! Almonds and macadamia nuts are painstakingly roasted, then coated with white chocolate, before adding in the aromatic coffee mixture. I really love how nutty this is!As usual, I tried all the flavours available for the day! Outstanding flavours include: Salty Yuzu (above and below), I like for the tangy-salty flavour tease on the taste buds;Salted Egg Yolk is literally like eating frozen mooncake; Summer Berries tastes ribena-y.…Read More

The 4 Christmas flavours at Tom’s Palette are out, folks!I was excited about Chestnut Brandy (above) previously and rightly so! Though I couldn’t taste much of the brandy, the pure chestnut goodness was love at first taste!Chocolate pudding (fruit cake with marshmallows) was already sold out by the time I reached but the friendly staff gave me a really generous sample. It’s like a nutty old-fashioned chocolate ice-cream, I like!White Chocolate Cranberries and White Christmas (below, candy cane with mint) didn’t catch my fancy cuz I don’t like white choc and the latter was soooo minty, kinda like toothpaste!And this is also the first time I came across Longan Red Dates (in both pics above). According to 8 Days, this is “ideal for auntie types too lazy to brew liang teh” (herbal tea). Heh, so now I’m an auntie! But who cares, what a great way to soothe the sore throat I’ve been having lately, haha.…Read More

Chikuwa Tei used to be Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza. Though I’ve never been to the old premises, I’ve heard of the “good” old days when the restaurant was helmed by the infamous ”nazi chef”. With a much bigger restaurant to control now, the chef is no longer as grumpy as before, phew. Otherwise, how can grumpy people cook good food?Service was very brisk and efficient. Seats were shown, orders were taken, and a small bowl of crunchy renkon (lotus roots) was given as appetiser within minutes.Call it a moment of insanity. Till now, I’ve still had no idea why we had the Jumbo Roll ($5++). I dislike anything with those awful frozen crabsticks so this was no better.On the other end of the spectrum, these sheets of mini dried sardines ($8++) were super delicious! So crispy and addictive~ Portion was small so it’s best to get one for yourself! =)Another star dish of the night was these fried salmon wrapped with seaweed ($12++)! Love the texture of this. What made it even more tasty was this homemade Japanese curry! It’s on the sweet side so it’s perfect as a dip for those savoury salmon rolls.The cod fish in claypot ($24++) had a nice sweet broth, plenty of tender oily fish and assorted vegetables, but it’s definitely not as memorable as the salmon rolls and sardine sheets.…Read More