We were at Crystal Jade for a casual family dinner. The overall dining experience was pretty pleasant, with good quality of food and attentive servers.

Nanjing Style Salted Duck ($9.50++)
A simple cold dish to whet our appetites. The duck meat was well braised as it was really soft and tender. The flavours were just right and not too salty. Chicken Marinated with Chinese Wine and Wolfberries ($9.00++)
Another cold dish that’s both nourishing and flavourful. The taste of the Chinese Wine was strong and rich. I personally enjoyed sipping mouthfuls of the Chinese Wine soup base while mum totally hated the taste. Well, I guess this was probably a “you-like-it-or-you-hate-it” dish, especially with the Chinese Wine soup base. The chicken was smooth and succulent, with a mix of both breast and thigh meat. Xiao Long Bao ($5.20++)
A classic signature dish we never fail to order. Their XLB was fat and juicy as ever, with its thin layer of skin encapsulating the meat ball soaked in all its natural juices and essences. Carp Fish Soup with Radish ($19.80++)
A definite must order! The carp fish was presented separately from the soup though it was obvious they had been cooked together from the richness in flavours. The fish was very sweet and soft while the soup base was slightly creamy and rich in collagen. The slightly crunchy radish atop the fish adds a contrasting layer of texture, making this dish really delectable and mouth-watering. Fried Rice with Conpoy ($13.80++)
A disappointment, sadly. The fried rice was quite blend and a tad too oily. We could neither taste the natural sweetness of the conpoy nor the fragrance of the egg fried rice. At $13.80++, this was totally not worth it.

We had a short staycation at Raffles Town Club for our wedding anniversary and decided to pamper ourselves with some fine dining. As we had a late dinner, we were privileged to be the only customers and received full attention from the service staff who were really friendly and professional. We ordered their 4-course Dinner Set ($68++) and were really impressed by the overall dining experience.

Smoked Duck Salad
Served with radish salad, smoked duck slice, hard-boiled egg, rye bread crouton, madeira aspic and cranberry coulis, this pretty salad was not only visually appealing but appetising too. The smoked duck was soft with notes of earl grey fragrance.

Truffle-Infused Potato-Leek Soup
A rich and creamy soup topped with Prosciutto ham. The texture was exceptionally smooth and exuded a hint of buttery fragrant accentuated by a dash of truffle oil. This was easily one of the nicest potato-leek soups we’ve tasted in Singapore. IntermezzoAngus Beef Tenderloin (Supplement of $8++)
A nice juicy piece of Angus Beef Tenderloin served with red wine sauce and accompanied by a unique combination of sides consisting of pumpkin gratin, sautéed Bacon-Brussels Sprout and mashed potato. The overall taste was very refine and flavorsome. The beef was tender and mouth-watering.

Pudding with Forest Berries
A delicately prepared dessert to end our meal on a high and sweet note. Paired with berries jelly, strawberry ice cream, raspberry chocolate ganache and brandy sauce, this myriad of flavours and texture was a joy to savour. I especially like that the pudding was rich but not overwhelming sweet. Great ambience, excellent service and exceptional dishes. This is the perfect combination that will definitely lure us back for more!

We were on a staycation at Raffles Town Club which included breakfast for two at their club’s café. The husband ordered their Club Special Breakfast set consisting of bacon, scrambled eggs on toast, sautéed mushrooms, garden vegetables and baked beans. A pretty decent and hearty meal to kick start the day. My husband especially liked the streaky bacon as it was quite crispy and flavourful. I order the Eggs Benedict with asparagus on Rye Toast. The Eggs Benedict was nicely prepared and presented. I particularly enjoyed the Rye Toast as it was soft and easy on the palate, not those dry and hard types we commonly find around other cafes.

We were here to celebrate a friend’s birthday and I’m not at all impressed by the quality of food served despite the numerous raving reviews. Overall, we feel that Amici is a fine-dining wannabe (as evident from the minute portions and pricy menu) but lacked the quality and service standards.

Grilled green shell lobster (300-400gms) served with pasta ($43.90++)
The lobster was somewhat overcooked as the flesh was dry and tough. Thankfully, the pasta was quite flavourful and delicious, something to be expected of Italian restaurants, I suppose ;) Mixed Grill Platter ($39.90++)
The portion of this grilled platter – consisting of grilled prawns, Norwegian salmon and chicken thigh – was considerable small given that it was supposed to be good enough for 2 pax sharing. Again, I find that their seafood tend to be overcooked, resulting in a dry and tough texture. The slightly sour tomato base sauce was appetising and enhanced the overall flavour of this otherwise light dish. Mixed Meat Platter ($43.90++)
Consisting of lamb rack, tenderloin and chicken thigh, this mixed meat grill was much better than its seafood counterpart. The meat was succulent and tender, especially the beef tenderloin. The accompanying truffle red wine sauce and chef special dip is a must try as it blended very well with the slightly charred meats.
Oven-baked black cod fillet ($36.90++)
A very light dish that lacked the distinctive buttery herb fragrance and zesty salsa flavours we were expecting. Thankfully, the fish was nicely prepared and not overcooked. The texture was soft and had retained the natural moisture of the meat.

Grilled beef tenderloin (200gm) ($39.90++)
The best dish we had this afternoon. The beef was rich in flavour and chewy in texture. Overall, Amici seemed to fare better in their meats compared to the seafood dishes. At these prices, there are definitely better alternatives in the immediate vicinity of Holland Village.

Second year celebrating CNY at Jumbo Seafood (Dempsey) after a really pleasant visit last year. The dining experience was pretty much the same as last year, just that their service seemed to be a little slow, perhaps due to the near-to-full -house crowd in view of the double Valentine celebration.

Pen Cai ($268++)
Same price, same taste, same great Pen Cai that left us totally mesmerised exactly 1 year back! The sweetness and essences of the myriad of fresh ingredients brought back heartwarming memories and made us relish in the joys of eating with our loved ones. The not-so-good things never change too. The baby abalones were still as tough and the folks had a hard time chewing it. Nevertheless, it was still a well prepared Pen Cai that we will definitely come back for next year. Yu Sheng ($48++)
As with the traditional lo-hei procedure, the waitress uttered auspicious words with each ingredient added. Something interesting in this year’s yu sheng was the addition of finely grated cheese flakes which added a hint of savoury touch amid the sweet toss. Herbal Prawns ($35++)
The prawns were big, fresh, sweet and juicy – a killer combination that made me wolf down at least half a dozen of them. The herbal soup exuded a bitter-sweet aftertaste that was light yet wholesome.

Stir-fried Venison with Ginger and Spring Onions ($20++)
The texture of the venison meat was supple and tender with a full deep taste reminiscent of woods and berries. Although prepared in the very typical ginger and spring onion style, it was really delicious and yummy. Till next year…