We were at Swensens’ once again for their free Firehouse Birthday Sundae, this time round to celebrate mum’s hatch day Some hits and misses but generally still worth it especially with the lunch promotion that comes with free sides/sundaes with every main course ordered!

Sirloin Steak
Glad to taste some improvement from our previous visit. The steak was more flavourful and succulent. Spicy Seafood Pasta with Grilled Scallops
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the pasta. The sauce was diluted and lacked the zest and sweetness we were expecting. The seafood was alright but somehow didn’t go quite well with the sauce.

Grilled Fish Sambal
One of Swensens’ best offerings so far. The sambal sauce was very tasty and authentic and coupled with the dory that was fresh and soft, this is one hot dish not to be missed! Deep Fried Blue Mussels
Another miss. The mussels were not fresh. To make things worse, they were coated with a thick layer of flour that left us feeling sick, and our palates, overbearing. Spice ‘N’ Chick
Thankfully, the fried chicken cubes were good. I especially like the marinate which gave it a distinctive aroma and punch. Great for starters! And ta-da, mum’s birthday treat was finally served, alongside The Rock

We were here for a late lunch after catching a movie. As we were the only customers then, the servers were prompt and food was served fairly quickly.

We order their Kaika Set Lunch which consisted of Wagyu Beef slices, Salmon Teriyaki, Chilled Spicy Asari and Shanghai Green with Scallops. The set lunch was served with cold appetisers, rice, miso soup and dessert. As the husband was also craving for some seafood, we topped up our order with some squids as well. The Kaika Set was delicious. I especially love their beef as it was very fragrant (due to the garlic seasoning) and tender. The squids were pretty well prepared and not overcooked, retaining the natural juices and chewy soft texture.
The Shanghai Green with Scallops was equally tasty and crunchy.

Unfortunately, the Salmon Teriyaki was overcooked and tasted quite dry and flaky. Overall, it was an enjoyable meal with some really delicious offerings!

We’ve been wanting to try their seafood platter for the longest time and when we finally had the chance to, it was an utter disappointment Surprisingly, it was their promotional set lunch that captured our hearts and melted our tastebuds.

Priced at $98++, the Hearty Chilled Platter was way too overpriced, considering the overall quality of their seafood was probably worth, say, $9.80++? The platter consisted of 6 oysters, 4 pieces of Alaskan king crab legs, 4 kinds of sashimi (the usual suspects) and 4 kinds of seafood tapas which we selected (scallop bouillabaisse, steamed prawns, lobster cocktail and white wine mussels). The seafood was not exactly very fresh, especially the Alaskan king crab legs which were soft and flaccid. The steamed prawns, mussels and sashimi were equally stale-tasting and terrible. Thankfully, the oysters and the other cold seafood tapas were passable though nothing to boast about. On the contrary, the $15 nett set lunch which we ordered in addition to the seafood platter, tasted thousand times better! I suspect the hefty price tag of the seafood platter probably deterred majority of the customers, resulting in the seafood being left on the shelf for an extended period of time. The cheaper alternatives were obviously more sellable and hence, they were able to maintain the freshness of the ingredients.

The Seafood Chowder was one of the tastiest I’ve tried! Rich, creamy and chunky, the aroma of the soup left us totally mesmerised and on cloud number 9. Seriously, you’ve got to try it to believe it! The Grilled wild snapper served with herb pesto risotto was delicious. The snapper was fresh with a tinge of buttery herb fragrance. Grilled to perfection, the soft and slightly charred fish complemented the pesto risotto well. Overall, an excellent combination and refreshing change from the usual fare. Unfortunately, the Sticky Date Pudding was anti-climatic. It was dry, flaky, and overwhelmingly sweet. Oh, and did I mention, they serve Evian water, freeflow! The price of the platter was probably used to defray the cost of the water.

In all, this goes to show that price tag is deceiving when it comes to nice food. Do give their $15 nett weekday set lunch a try and skip the platters!

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!