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…

I had been constantly attracted by the fragrance emitting from this shop and finally decided to give it a try though I was never a fan of rice products.

Marketing itself as a healthy concept food choice, the variety of rice products – brown rice, mixed grain, wheat germ brown rice, purple rice, red rice - seemed really nutritious and wholesome. As the standard rice roll (choice of 5 fillings) was too much for me, I bought the small Tuna Rice Wrap ($2.20) for a try. The wholesome treat (combination of mixed grain with purple rice, tuna flakes and sweet corn kernel) was indeed very fragrant, soft and tasty.

However, the Soyabean milk with purple rice (which came FOC with their breakfast promotion) was nothing to shout about. It was diluted, sugar loaded and tasted nothing like soyabean milk.

Will probably try out the rice roll for lunch next time 

We were at CUT to celebrate our 1st year wedding anniversary. Hailed as one of the top steakhouses in Singapore, I was rather disappointed with the quality of food. Compared to other celebrity steakhouses serving tastier steaks at more reasonable prices, the premium we paid was definitely not value-for-money. Sides were not inclusive and came with an equally hefty price tag as well.

Assortment of Bread
This got to be one of the saltiest breads I’ve ever tasted. They had a wide assortment of bread rolls for our selection, but all tasted equally salty The breadsticks that were placed on our table were perhaps the most appealing choice. Tasting of New York Sirloin ($225++)3 different varieties of tasting portions served side by side, all doneness medium-rare.
• (left) U.S.D.A. Prime, Illinois Corn Fed 120g
• (centre) American Wagyu From Snake River Farms 120g
• (right) True A5 Kobe Beef From Hyogo Prefecture 60g

The U.S.D.A Prime was chewy, rich and tantalising. The slightly charred surface added much flavour to the otherwise au naturel beef.

The American Wagyu had a smooth velvety texture, juicy flavour and a rich aftertaste that lingered on the palate. The marbling however, was not as great as expected.

The Kobe beef was a disappointment. It didn’t taste very fresh and lacked the bright colour and luster we were anticipating. The saving grace was the marbling of the beef which accentuate the smooth texture.

The sides were pretty interesting and delicious. In fact, they were even stole the limelight from the stars of the meal!

Potato Puree ($18++)
The potato puree was exceptionally smooth and creamy with a hint of buttery herb and spices. Each bite literally melts in your mouth and was a delight to savour.

Cream Spinach ($18++)
The spinach was well blended and flavourful. I especially love the creamy texture and buttery fragrance of this delicately prepared side.

An anniversary surprise to end our meal on a sweet note. The ice cream sorbet was silky smooth and light on the palate. A good way to wash down the heavy meal we just enjoyed

And last but not the least, we were pleasantly surprised (again) when we were presented a trio of nougat-like treats to complete our meal on an even sweeter note.