The first floor of the place is taken up by the bar while the second floor is the restaurant dining area, which can seat up to about 50 pax or so. Decor is minimalistic with little frills, but the rather smallish interior made for a cozier atmosphere. There is a third floor as well but I believe its reserved for private functions.

Salt & Pepper Calamari - The calamari was very decent when consumed piping hot but when left to cool, the oil in the thick batter solidified and saying it was gross would be an understatement.

Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas - I thought this dish resonated quite well with me, falling pretty much into the comfort food category. Gooey cheese with chicken bits and a nice chewy texture from the dough - what's not to like

Shredded Pork Tacos - As appetising as they looked, I found the pork tacos wanting in flavour and texture. The pork's texture reminded me more of sardine then pork and it honestly didn't taste like pork. Still edible though.

Tempura Barramundi - The tempura batter was too thick and to make things worse, the fish wasn't fresh. Imagine chomping down on a piece of flour with a fishy aftertaste. A heavy dosage of lemon would definitely help.

Dallas Wings - The wings took the honours for being the worst dish of the day in my humble opinion. There was zero marination and the flour coating was tasteless as well. A dash of salt would have done wonders. There was also the problem of inconsistency in cooking. Some pieces of chicken were overcooked while others were okay.

Baby Back Pork Ribs Done in 3 Ways - Fiery, Alabama and Smoked Hickory BBQ - The fiery ribs were very sweet and garlicky with a mild spice twist at the end. Tender meat was definitely a plus.
I thought that the smoked ribs were overwhelmed by the BBQ sauce and the meat wasn't as tender as I would have liked it to be.
Strangely enough, the Alabama ribs were more spicy then the fiery ribs and came across as sweet and garlicky as well.

Beef Fajitas - The beef was purportedly 100-120 day grain fed beef and though the meat was noticeably tender, any hopes of a nice beefy taste was ruined by the excessive curry powder, which was a pity really. The guacamole and sour cream dips provided scant comfort.

Breaded Mushrooms - Dish after dish of deep fried stuff. When it got to the breaded mushrooms, I was all ready to regurgitate everything out. Fortunately, the mushrooms were still decent. A little juicy with hints of cheese within. Watch out for the thick batter though.

And in case you were wondering about my missing corn & crab fritters, it never came. Our table had to remind the waitress twice and the host once before the Alabama ribs arrived. So it was a unanimous decision not to bring up the case of the corn fritters to them, lest we had to wait for another 30mins.

Each of us coughed up about $27 for below average cholesterol laden pub grub, which is probably not the wisest thing to do. Service could have been much better and they seemed rather short handed. The place is nice and great for gatherings but something drastic has to be done about the quality of the food. Reasons like food quality dipping due to a huge turnout just doesn't cut any ice. Well at least the owner was nice enough to drop by to address our concerns about the food.

Had lunch at Gunthers, the eponymous modern fine dining French restaurant helmed by Chef Gunther Hubrechsen, who trained under Chef Alain Passard at the 3 Michelin star L’Arpège in Paris and had a 5 year stint with Les Amis. Opened in August 2007, Gunthers has consistently garnered rave reviews from various media for its refreshing twist to classical French food.

The whole place isn't big actually, even more so the private dining room, which was slated to accomodate 24 of us. And because it was a long table, there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around which made it quite cramp (for me at least). Decor came across as simple and minimalist with dark wall tones and carefully placed spotlights - not so much the romantic ambience, but more for business.

The complimentary bread tasted like normal baguette to me, just a little chewier on the inside. Nothing special.

Amuse Bouche - I didn't quite take to the amuse bouche, which was a slice of tomato drizzled with a vanilla bean foam served with fava beans and a slice of ciabatta. The foam and vanilla beans seemed more for decoration then anything else and the tomato taste overwhelmed.

Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar - One of Gunther's signature dishes, this was quite tasty but I would have preferred my pasta to be more al dente. The chopped chives and truffle oil gave it a smooth savoury taste coupled with a fragrant truffle aroma while the chilliness of the pasta contributed a nice refreshing sensation. Apparently this dish goes for $60 in the ala carte menu, but portions are definitely much much bigger.

Poached White Asparagus, Bouchot Mussels - White asparagus is essentially asparagus that comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. No chlorophyll can be produced without sunlight hence there is no green colouring in the plant. As such, it is slightly milder in flavour and a little more tender then normal green asparagus. I thought that Gunther's rendition of this vegetable was a little lacking. The single stalk of asparagus was poached until it became overly soft and mashy. The accompanying sauce was excellent though, with a hint of cinammon that went very well with the tiny morsels of seafood.

Grilled Cote de Boeuf, Japanese sweet-corn, sauce Bordelaise - The beef was done to a perfect medium rare with a nice slightly charred exterior that hinted strongly of salt. There was one small fault though. The red wine/vinegar reduction seemed a little too rushed, resulting in a lightly sour note as you chew on the meat. I liked the grilled sweet corn that came alongside. It provided a sweet refreshing punctuation in between intakes of beef.

Roasted Black Pig from Spain (Pata Negra) - The pork was a substitute for the Grilled Cote de Boeuf in case anyone didn't take beef. But that's not to say that this dish was lacklustre in comparison. On the contrary, this was one quality piece of meat from the Black Iberian Pig, which is known for its ability to accumulate fat under its skin and between the muscular fibres. Read. Exorbitant prices. Execution wise, I thought that the pork was evenly roasted to produce a tender yet succulent piece of meat that literally left me wanting for more. The only complaint I had was that the meat was overly salty.

Fine Apple Tart a la Dragées, Havana Rum Raisin Ice Cream - Apparently Gunther's signature dessert, the apple tart's crust reminded me of the crust found in the Chinese red bean paste pancake, save for the toppings of nuts on top. The stuffing of apple chunks weren't too soft but lacked the sourish aftertaste in my humble opinion. The rum and raisin ice cream was interesting but somehow I don't remember rum and raisin tasting anything like this, or am I just a die hard alcoholic

As this was a special arrangement by Gunther's for this particular event, we were fortunate to have been able to try out so many dishes for $45 nett/pax.

I had always been under the impression that Crystal Jade Palace and Crystal Jade Golden Palace were one and the same restaurant. But a chance dining encounter at Crystal Jade Palace some weeks back proved otherwise.

Like its equally upscale sibling, Crystal Jade Palace boasts a tastefully designed interior that oozes contemporary Chinese chic at its store in Ngee Ann City. And what's surprising is that amidst the recession, the place was packed to the rafters by about 8pm. And you would think that such an upscale Chinese restaurant would see a decline in patronage.

Double Boiled Shark Bone Soup - The restaurant's shark bone soup was honestly not my cup of tea. It came across as way too milky for my liking and rather bland. And the sticking point was the thick layer of residue it left on my tongue.

Roasted Pork Belly - I'm a sucker for roasted pork belly and this one had crackling crisp skin above proportionately lean meat that wasn't too dry or salty. I would have loved to have seconds if not for my very strained wallet.

Roast Duck - The roast duck's skin wasn't crisp and there was a lingering fowl taste. Decent nonetheless but I've had way better and definitely not worth the 18 bucks.

Broccoli with Crab Roe - Tasty but the gravy was a little too starchy which made me nauseous after a bit. However, the serving of crab meat was generous and the broccoli, cooked just right, which more then made up for it. Best eaten with rice.

Deep Fried Ice Cream - Overinflated best describes the deep fried ice cream, which had a thin hot air inflated crust that looked and tasted like what you would find in goreng pisang. And within that crust lay a scoop of peach flavoured ice cream that seemed to be melting at an exponential speed. Decent.

Durian Pudding - Durian shreds embedded within smooth and chilled pudding that promised a glimpse of the real mccoy. What's not to like However I prefer puree or real durian flesh anytime.

Dinner for 2 crossed the century mark. I am not sure that the quality of food commands such a high price tag and I definitely favour Golden Palace over this, even with the not too recent disappointment. Service is generally good but I sure didn't like the idea of sitting only about 30cm away from the next table.

It's interesting how eateries are named nowadays. Some allude to hidden references while others, like Everything with Fries, tells you straight up what to expect from the restaurant. Indulge in my lameness for a bit as I can't help but think that this cafe's name is in response to the "Would you like fries with that" question. HAHA.

The eatery's stark white facade cuts a contrasting impression amongst the faded walls of its neighbours along Joo Chiat Road. Wait staff in pink tops and white shorts add to the overall "uplifting" ambience of the place. There is the problem of cramp spaces though. We got a seat next to the walkway and every time someone walked past, they had to squeeze their way in. Imagine someone's butt scraping past your table when you are eating. Definitely not a pleasant prospect.

Egg Soup - Apparently a signature and the only soup available on the menu, the one egg soup was essentially chicken broth with a slightly creamy texture and a sourish hint. The accompanying portion of deep fried whisked egg tasted a little like french toast sans the bread. Rather appetising I must say, especially with the addition of ground pepper.

Grilled Pork Chop - The pork chop's seasoning was quite good but probably a wee bit too flavourful for my liking. Grilling imbued it with a nice smoky taste but unfortunately the meat came across as a little too dry. And as the name of the eatery suggests, it came with a choice from a selection of fries (original, curry, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, garlic and herbs) as well as a salad, to balance out all that unhealthy stuff. I'm not too sure the fries were that fantastic though, nothing like my favourite fries from New York Fries.

Cheeseburger - My initial reaction upon seeing the burger was one of mild shock. The beef patty was probably only the size of 1.5 Macdonald patties, which is really quite small. Size aside, the texture of the patty was rather uneven, which probably means that it hasn't been machine processed. But I would have liked it a little juicier. The bun is purportedly made from scratch and I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. Light without being too dense and mildly sweet with a coating of butter, pan fried till lightly charred on the surface - very good!

Pear Tart - The nutella tart was sold out so we had to settle for the pear tart with an additional scoop of ice cream, which tasted suspiciously like Wall's ice cream. This dessert was a poor attempt at a tart in my humble opinion. The crust was suppose to be flaky but turned out rather elastic. And its a little odd if pear slices don't taste like pear. Overall still edible but don't expect much.

Dessert and cramp spaces aside, I must say that the meal was quite enjoyable, especially with the relatively economical price tag and chirpy service. I would definitely make it a point to return, but in the meantime, they might want to take a look into their table arrangement.

Had dinner with a couple of my relatives at Tai Seng Restaurant, one of the long standing traditional Teochew restaurants still around in this era of fast food and modern Chinese cuisine. Established in 1933, it used to be located at Outram (if my memory serves me correctly) and was apparently very popular back then.

Currently located not too far from its original location, on the top floor of People's Park Centre, Tai Seng looks just like your typical nostalgic restaurant from yesteryear. Think Red Star or Yan Palace.

Prawn Roll - Our dinner trotted off to a good start with the prawn roll or Har Zhor, which was crisp without involving too much oil or fatty meat in the equation. Dipped into the plum sauce, it was a nice blend of sweet and salty.

Cabbage Braised with Mushroom - A traditional Teochew dish, the braised cabbage isn't exactly my cup of tea because of the way it is prepared - very soft from being soaked in the gravy. But that's just a personal preference. My parents liked it though.

Deep Fried Crayfish - I loved this dish for its flavour - salty carrying a hint of spiciness and its crisp and dry texture. The presence of fried garlic provided a whiff of fragrance as well as the nice garlicky after taste. Very good!

Braised Sea Cucumber with Fish Maw - The sea cucumber didn't come across as too gelatin or slimy, which upped the appetising factor (for me at least). Coupled with mushrooms and fish maw that didn't gross me out by being too slimy, it was simple yet good.

Goose Meat - One of the few yardsticks I use to measure Teochew cuisine and also one of my personal favourites, the goose failed to make the cut, to say the very least. It had a rather gamy taste and did seem a little dry. What piqued my interest was the inclusion of the neck, something which I rarely see nowadays. But its just a mere novelty.

Steamed Pomfret - Teochew cuisine is famed for its steamed pomfret, which is steamed with mushrooms, tomatos, sour plums and the likes. Tai Seng's rendition was excellent if I may say. The rather sizeable fish was very fresh, sweet and steamed to perfection. The gravy was nice and light and complemented the fish very well.

Yam & Pumpkin - My other yardstick for guaging Teochew food - the humble yet labouriously intensive to prepare, yam paste aka Orh Nee. Besides being a little too sweet for my liking, the yam paste lacked fragrance probably due to the reduced usage of lard. At least it was smooth and definitely palatable.

$216 for a dinner for 7 is relatively value for money considering the food that we got. Quality of food is a case of hits and misses and service is patchy but decent. Overall a decent place to try if you want Teochew food and are looking to avoid the crowds in the other more popular Teochew restaurants like Huat Kee and the likes.