tofeho's Profile

Armed with our groupon voucher of $5.90 for 2 scoops of Artisan Gelato from Alfero, we trooped down to their spanking new outlet at Orchard Gateway (otherwise known as the mall squeezed between Somerset 313 and Orchard Central. Hidden in the basement, Alfero is tucked amongst the many F&B options in Orchard Gateway and with its chic black interior, could have been easily ignored. Unlike most gelato shops that proudly display their goods in as outlandish a manner as possible - really, am I REALLY going to be getting that tub of nutella along with my scoop of nutella gelato -, Alfero has gone down the low-key route, covering their gelato with tin caps, as they claim that it keeps the gelato fresh and safe from air and light pollution. As the saying goes, "less is indeed more" and the less gelato on display, the more we hankered after them. Between the both of us, my sister and I probably sampled all of the available flavors - ranging from the usual vanilla/chocolate/strawberry to the exotic hazelnut and pistacho. The ice cream girl was really lovely and incredibly patient with us, the tin caps clanging as she gave us samples from one flavor to the next. In the end, we took her recommendation of the Pistacho (crowd favorite!) and Dark chocolate to heart and ordered a cup of each flavor. (The chocolate was quickly appropriated and guzzled down by my sister before I could get a snap of it so you guys will just have to settle for a shot of the pistacho.)And what a shot indeed (and brownie points if you got the "Godfather" reference on the cup)! While the dark chocolate flavor was intense and a chocolate lover's delight, the Pistacho was the one I was fighting tooth and nail with my family over. Pure nutty goodness in a pretty packed cup, we definitely savored every rich and creamy spoonful of it - a crowd favorite indeed!Coupled with excellent service and a narrow yet cosy interior, I'll definitely be heading back here whenever I'm in town for a sugar fix! And if you do try it out, DEFINITELY opt for the Pistacho. …Read More

Having chanced upon a "$25 for $50" groupon voucher for Outpost Bar and Bistro,we decided to give it a try. Seeing as there was only 1 review for this on Hungrygowhere, and a highly positive review at that, we thought that it was going to be a great meal. Sadly, we were sorely mistaken. We ordered a seafood pizza ($22), sizzling chicken wings ($14), fried pork belly ($13) and 2 Burger Trios ($18 each), along with a cocktail each ($18) as they did not serve water (which would have come in handy to wash down the taste of disappointment). The drinks arrived first and despite the relatively high price tag and the fact that Outpost is a bar (supposed to be specializing in alcoholic beverages), tasted more like syrup than anything else.  Shrugging away our initial disappointment, we had higher hopes for the food - famous last words. The food arrived in quick succession, with the chicken wing and pork belly arriving first, followed by the Burger and seafood pizza shortly after. While I appreciate the nearly simultaneously food delivery (which meant that everyone got to dig in at the same time without having to wait politely for someone else's food to arrive while yours is getting cold in front of you), it meant that some of the dishes that were prepared earlier were already lukewarm when they arrived to our table - especially the fried dishes. Both the deep fried dishes were lukewarm and not crispy at all. The pork belly tasted like fried strips of flour, and its accompanying mystery sauce equally unimpressive. Sizzling chicken wings weren't any better, a tad too salty for our liking but paired with a safer non-mystery option - sweet thai chili sauce. The seafood pizza was probably the most disappointing dish - $22 for a thin crust pizza that was not warm at all, tasted like one of the frozen pizzas purchased from NTUC that had a few frozen shrimps and bits of squid (not even the full squid ring but bits and pieces like those left over from making calamari) thrown on top. The saving grace was probably the burger trio - three mini burgers with crab, chicken and beef patties served with thick cut fries, but even then, it was good only when compared to the other dishes we ordered. That said, the service was good (efficient but not friendly - and the bill took quite a while to arrive) and since Outpost is a relatively new establishment (I hope), our poor gastronomical experience could have been due to some teething issues. However, our unanimous decision at the end of the meal was that this would be our first and last time dining at Outpost Bar and Bistro.…Read More

Kamameshi is Japanese rice flavoured with special ingredients and steamed in an iron pot, providing a steamy pot of aromatic rice for you to enjoy! I decided to try out the house specialty when we were at this restaurant the other day, since the presentation looked really cool! (cheap thrill) I got the Tori and Unagi Kamemashi ($17.44) which was grilled eel and tender chicken in soya sauce. It arrived in a cute wooden contraption and a mini hourglass set to time for 1 minute. You're supposed to let the rice steam for 1 minute first, so when the hourglass runs out, you'll know when it's time to dig in! After the 1 minute is up, gently mix the ingredients and load 'em onto your plate! Be sure to put the lid back on the pot so that the rice left inside does not dry out and then you're ready to enjoy your meal. The rice was filled with lots of eel and chicken pieces, and things like green beans and carrots in the warm and chewy soya rice. While it was delicious, I'm usually not a fan of such rice dishes so I don't think I'll be coming back for more of this. However if steamed rice is right up your alley, head down to Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Café to try it out! …Read More

A great place for catching up with friends, the beer market does have a live band, which is one of my favourite things in a place (as long as the band is good obviously!). However, try not to seat near the speakers or else you’ll be yelling in each other’s ears trying to be heard all night! The Beer Market Burger ($14) had a char-grilled beef patty with BBQ sauce served with thick cut fries and fresh salad. While the burger was delicious thanks to the massive patty and generous lashings of BBQ sauce (one can never go wrong with BBQ sauce!), the fries were a disappointment because they arrived cold and a little soggy. Which is probably the worst state fries can be served in. Nevertheless, the burger and salad made up for it although I feel that if they had perfected the fries, or at least served them while they were hot and fresh, it would have made the dish truly excellent. I also got a lychee beer ($12) because I’m a typical girl who does not like the taste of beer but the sweetness and lychee-flavour helps to get me through a bottle or two. The cool thing about beer market is that the prices of beer follow that of a stock market and change throughout the evening depending on demand and supply. You can view all the beer prices of tv screens scattered around the eatery which is an interesting and unique concept. It does feel sad when you realize you could have paid less for your drink but that’s the stock market for you. I’ll definitely be back with some friends soon! …Read More

One of my favourite snacks to eat in Singapore has got to be the sweet and icy ice cream! Perfect for hot sweltering afternoons in June, there’s always time for this lovely snack. I shared a triple scoop with 2 friends for an after lunch snack, and we got mint chocolate chip, strawberry and macadamia nut on a chocolate waffle biscuit ($12~)! I love their waffles because it smells so fragrant and delicious and goes really well with the ice cream! While the quality of the ice cream is nothing to write home about, the macadamia nut flavor was my favourite. That said, there are better ice creams out there so I’m only ambivalent about Andersens. After all, the ice cream scene in Singapore is always changing so quickly with fun and fresh flavors coming out all the time. Andersen’s has got to rethink its brand strategy to be able to keep up with the crowd in the long run. …Read More

I probably mention this way too much but one of my favourite dishes has to be beef noodle soup. While I usually prefer my beef roasted the western-style, I love slurping down the tasty beef broth that always accompanies the dish. To me, the noodles and slices of beef are simply fillers. Which is why when I went for lunch at Lao Beijing, I tried the Braised beef noodles to see if they were any good. Unfortunately, they fell short of my expectations because the soup tasted more like water rather than anything. I guess the highlight of this dish is intended to be the braised beef pieces and the la mian but to me, if the soup is no good, the rest is negligible. It is also not cheap considering the price of $10~ so given the choice, I would go for my trusty hawker centre beef kway teow soup anyday. …Read More

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, my family decided to head to a small Japanese restaurant in Boat Quay for a nice set lunch. Frequently patronized by the working crowd on the weekdays, the restaurant was relatively empty when we visited on a weekend. I got the Teriyaki salmon set lunch ($16.90) but you can choose other dishes such as Wagyu beef, Teriyaki chicken or grilled saba fish. The meal comes with a small salad, which was quite average with a light dressing. Then some salmon and tuna sashimi which I really enjoyed because they were nice and fresh! Finally the main dish came with my grilled salmon drizzled with Teriyaki sauce, miso soup, rice and some pickles. The salmon was cooked just enough to be juicy yet crispy and went wonderfully with the rice and soup. Lastly, dessert was a scoop of home-made ice cream of your choice (green tea, yuzu, sesame, grape, sea salt) and I decided to try sea salt for a more exotic taste. It had a very unique taste being both salty and sweet at the same time, but I highly recommend trying it! Apparently, all the ingredients are flown in from Japan so you can expect them to be fresh and of the highest quality! Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a bite in the CBD area. The prices are reasonable for the quality of food served and most of the customers are regulars so you can be sure that the food is good enough for them to keep coming back!…Read More

Looking for cheap and good food in Town is always a challenge so I was glad to have been introduced to this gem of an eatery conveniently located at Concorde Hotel, smack between Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut. My friend suggested the place having eaten there before and she swore that the kimchi jiggae (kimchi soup) and potato pancake will forever ruin food court korean food for me. After having tried them out, I have to agree. For $6, you get a hot piping bowl of kimchi jiggae, along with a bowl of white rice and a side dish of either kimchi, pickled cucumbers or anchovies. I opted for the anchovies and my friend and I decided to share the potato pancake ($4).Its fiery red colour belies the true spiciness level of the soup because it actually isn't as spicy as it looks. It does have the sour taste of kimchi though so if you're not a fan, then best to try other soup dishes instead. Generous portions of kimchi, sliced pork, egg, tofu and vermicelli noodles can be found in the soup, which went really well with the rice. One of the better kimchi jiggaes in Singapore I have to admit. The potato pancake was also crispy and tasty and best eaten when hot! It came with a dipping sauce that made it extra yummier. If you're looking for a cheap and good meal while in Town, do try out this humble little shop in Juz Foodcourt! …Read More

I’m a huge Japanese food lover so I’m always on the lookout for the best places for Japanese dining in Singapore. So when my friends suggested trying out a new ramen place at Ion Orchard, I was more than happy to go along. The décor of Menya Musashi reminds me of a traditional Japanese wooden house, the kind you see in “Naruto” actually with its wooden walls and flooring. We had a cosy booth for the 4 of us and all coincidentally ordered the White Kakuni Ramen ($13.60). While the noodles were well-done and the half-boiled egg and pork were executed nicely, I felt that the soup base was much too salty for my taste. It was delicious but too salty for me to truly enjoy the dish. Thus, I don’t think I will be going back anytime soon unless they change the soup base. I also did not particularly care for the black fungus in the soup because I’m not a fan of it but it did not affect the overall taste of the meal much. …Read More

Another day, another food trend – that’s the food scene in Singapore for you. If you remember a couple of months back, beancurd was the food of the moment. Not just any beancurd mind you, it was the silky non-traditional beancurd that doesn’t come with any syrup because it’s already sweetened and smooth. Fast-forward a couple of months later, this new-fangled beancurd is still around and the undisputed leader of the pack would have to be Lao Ban beancurd. You know a shop is successful when it has to customize plastic bags to fit up to 6 beancurds in one bag. As usual I got the original flavoured one ($1.50) which is actually more than twice the price of the traditional beancure, but you will soon learn why. What sets Lao Ban apart from the crowd is that their beancurd seems to have a very multi-dimensional taste. It is not just sweet but it has an almost creamy taste to it which I’m very fond of. This distinguishes it from the rest of its competitors and is why I feel that it is the best in Singapore. The fact that it melts in your mouth is also an added plus! If you haven't tried lao ban beancurd yet, you must be living under a rock. I strongly urge you to leave it and go get yourself some of this delicious milky goodness! …Read More

When living in as humid and hot an island as Singapore, one is always on the lookout for the latest icy treat to cool down on a warm day (which is almost everyday). I am thus well acquainted with a range of ice cold desserts and snacks, ranging from the humble ice kacang to the “atas” gelato. One of my favourite snacks to indulge in on a particularly hot day is both refreshing and healthy – soft serve froyo! While I do occasionally like to DIY my froyo, one of my favourite froyo places to patronize is Yami Yogurt, probably the oldest froyo chain in Singapore. It helps that I’ve a member loyalty card, so there’s always an excuse to help myself to some more. Today’s froyo is a medium sized peach flavoured one ($3.40), which tastes just like fresh peaches. The best thing is that Yami yogurt froyo is not as sour and tart as regular yogurt and yet, it still has just the right amount of tartness to be called froyo. Unlike some froyo outlets out there who seem to be selling soft serve ice cream instead. To keep this snack in the healthy category, I usually opt for either nuts or granola as topping, which is what I did today. This crunchy and sweet cereal goes really well with the soft froyo and makes it an even better treat.Do try them out on a sweltering day, your belly will thank you for it!…Read More

When dining with a group of people, splitting the bill is always a hassle because at the end of the meal, it’s a flurry of mobile phone calculators whipped out to calculate the cost after including GST and service charge. Then it’s a scramble to dig out just the right amount of change to pay for your meal. Thankfully, all of this is done away with at Marche, where you first pay for your food using a card and then at the end of the meal, make your real payment at the cashier before you leave the restaurant. Everyone pays for himself, trouble settled! It is on one of these occasions that I find myself at Marche once again, and I decided to go for the rosti ($6.20) and a side of calamari ($12.90). The rosti at Marche is probably one of the most popular dishes since there is almost always a queue at the counter, but the chefs there are usually relatively efficient so there isn’t really a long wait. I always get the sour cream and green onions to garnish because they make the rosti taste so much better! The rosti is nicely browned and seasoned with just the right amount of salt such that it’s tasty and not overwhelmingly so. The sour cream gives it a nice tangy taste and the green onions are there because I’m a fan of them. As for the calamari, they were fried in a golden batter which was absolutely delicious and the squid inside was nice and fresh. The accompanying tartar sauce is also an added (albeit fattening) bonus. I would recommend this place to people dining in groups for the convenience, and for everyone because there is always such a wide variety of food that there’s bound to be something for everyone! (that likes western cuisine at least.)…Read More

Being a thai food aficionado , I have eaten more than my fair share of beef noodles and so when I heard that there was a new Vietnamese café in town selling Pho (which is somewhat similar to the Thai beef noodles that I’m partial to), I leapt at the chance to schedule a lunch date with a friend there to check it out. Located conveniently at the basement of Wheelock Place, it is a mere stone’s throw away from Orchard MRT station. The café is rather small so the tables are also incredibly small. Not too mention the fact that half the table is occupied by all the various condiments provided to season the food means that you have very little room on the table for anything else. Which is fine, because the main thing is that there’s enough space on the table for the noodles! I opted for the beef noodles (no surprise here) and because we got the set lunch ($9.90), it came with some rice paper rolls and dipping sauce along with an option of tea or Vietnamese iced coffee. The rice paper rolls were quite tasteless until you dip them into the sauce, which was delicious and reminded me of the sauce used in “chee cheong fun”. The noodles came pretty quickly after the drinks and starter was served so props to the excellent service! While it wasn’t the best pho I’ve had (the best located in a small eatery in China Town, San Francisco), it was well worth the price. Topped with generous amounts of beef slices, the broth was tasty and flavourable and the garnishes were also a nice touch. The noodles was silky smooth so that was a plus also. I would recommend this place to anyone who’s feeling puckish while shopping in town and ready for a nice warm bowl of soupy goodness. …Read More

In a desperate bid to chase away the monday blues, I thought that I should reward myself with a late supper at Long House Food court which is conveniently located at Upper Thomson Road, in the midst of famous dessert places such as Udders. Feeling peckish for some carbs, I decided to get the chicken rice from Bugis St Chuen Chuen Chicken Rice 白沙浮津津芽菜鸡. I opted for the set meal A, which consists of rice, chicken of your choice, soup and a side of beansprouts. Not to mention the usual suspects of chili and dark sauce which are a must when eating chicken rice! Priced at $5.30, I feel that this is a reasonable price for a well-balanced meal since you get your carbs, protein and fibres all in one place. The chicken was tender and juicy, and went well with the sauce that it was served in. The beansprouts were surprisingly tasty because of the accompany sauce and shallots! I was almost going to get the recipe for the beansprouts from the owners of the shop because I had never eaten such tasty beansprouts in my life. The rice is your typical fragrant chicken rice so nothing special abotu that. All in all, it was a very satisfying meal and I would highly recommend trying this place out if you are a fan of chicken rice, just don't forget to order the beansprouts too! …Read More

Growing up in a cantonese household, soups are always a staple for every meal. Usually left to boil for couple of month to get all the flavor out, I'm used to drinking very flavorful soups at home so when I do go out to eat, the broth provided has to match up to these high standards! Luckily, Whitley Rd Big Prawn Noodle is one of those who have mastered the art of cooking such a tasty broth for their prawn noodles that I keep going back for more.$4 for a small bowl is usually enough to fill my belly, mainly because we tend to order other side dishes to share. The best part of this dish would have to be the broth. Boiled with prawns heads and seasoned well, it is a treat to the tastebuds as it is both salty and sweet at the same time! The noodles and accompany prawns are just fillers because for me, I could easily finish 2-3 bowls of the broth alone. I also like how the prawns are served in a manner that makes it easy to eat. Goodness knows how much I have struggled to peel whole prawns with just a pair of chopsticks and a spoon, only to have the prawn either fly off the plate or give up eventually and just use my hands. That said, the noodles and prawns are well-cooked and complement the soup nicely.If you have a bigger appetite, the noodles come in portions of 4/5/8/12 portions so you can stuff yourself silly accordingly. I would highly recommend this place to people who love prawns and more importantly, yummy soups. I'll definitely be back for more when another prawn soup craving hits! …Read More