Recently I have brought my mother to lunch at the restaurant which was located by the pool side. There was indoor air con and outdoor alfresco dining. We decided on indoor as it was pretty hot that day. We were showed to a table with a nice view of the pool. Although it was week day, it was quite a crowd at the pool. There was lunch set (S$38++/2 course, S$46++/3 course, S$54++/4 course)  for week day. After placing our order, we were served water, crusty bread and butter. The bread was soft and pillowy.Orecchiette alla Norcina
Signature Umbria's pork sausage ragout, spinach, pecorino
Although simple looking, it was quite tasty.Risotto
Special selection Acquerello rice, mushroom ragout, truffle scent
It smell quite nice when served. The rice was savoury and well cooked.
Barramundi
Seared Barramundi fillet
Crustacean soup, sautéed vegetables
The fish was firm and juicy.
Pollo
Organic chicken roulade, charred kale, pearl onion mustard seed and mushroom ragout
The meat was quite tender. Quite a heavy serving.
Panna Cotta
Vanilla panna cotta, berry coulis, berry sponge
The custard was smooth and milky, without too sweet.

We ended the meal with coffee.

For a quiet week day, the restaurant attracted quite fair bit of crowd for lunch.

Decided to drop by for dinner using 1-for-1 Burpple Beyond membership. As I have made reservation for 2 online, we were told that counter seats by the window were our after making our order at the counter.

PATTY MELT (S$17+)
beef patty, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, PBD sauce, pickles, rye
The patty was pretty moist and juicy.

TURKEY CLASSIC (S$16+)
house brined & sous-vided turkey breast, bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayo, honey mustard vinaigrette, mustard aioli
It looked like processed meat cold sandwich but it was pretty filling and moist.

PB&J (S$8+)
crunchy peanut butter, mixed berry jam, cornflake crusted milk & chocolate bread
It was quite rich and it got quite jelat halfway for my half toast. Like the crispy cornflake crust. Better share with others.

The restaurant served serve Taiwanese-inspired dishes at mainly $5, and $10, plus a couple at $15 and $25. Recently the restaurant extended its operating hours to cater to supper crowd during the weekends.Black Fungus | Dashi Ponzu (S$5)
cold black fungus marinated with dashi ponzu dressing
Quite crunchy and refreshing.Chicken Hearts | Fried Ginger (S$5)
soy glazed chicken hearts, fried ginger
Tender and well braised.Corn | Hoisin Mayonnaise (S$5)
charred sweet corn served with hoisin mayonnaise
It may looked simple, but the corn was sweet and juicy without overpowering by the sauce on top.

Dough Fritters | Minced Pork | Haus Saus (S$5)
Interesting topped with dough fritters on top, although wished that the minced pork could cook finer.

Golden Frog Legs | Haus Chilli Mayo (S$5)
The legs were savoury and tender on its own. With the sauce, it packed a punch.Golden King Mushroom | Plum Powder (S$5)
Quite an addictive snack to munch on with its savoury taste.Braised Duck | Taw Kwa | Egg (S$10)
Tender meat although quite boney to eat. The bean curd was kind too strong in the spice taste.Braised Pig Intestines | Fresh Garlic (S$10)
braised large intestines, haus saus, freshly grated garlic
The innards was tender without any offensive taste.

Burnt Chilli Chicken (S$10)
charred chicken thigh cooked with loads of chilli
Tender juicy meat which packed a punch.Crispy Duck Leg (S$10)
It looked dried but the meat turned out to be quite tender.

Lu Rou (S$10)
braised pork belly in special haus saus
Tender well flavoured although could further more tender. Oyster Omelette | Lard (S$10)
Not the usually local style or the Taiwanese style. Packed a kind of meaty texture maybe due to the usage of lard.Pork Chop (S$10)
It was served cut up into pieces for easy handling. Quite tender and juicy.

Accompanied with

Shiny Rice (S$0.50)
rice drizzled with lard and garlic oil
Quite flavoured although wished that it was served with minced spring onion and ginger paste which would enhance the flavour more.

Sweet Potato Congee (S$3)
The porridge was made with dashi broth, which tasted so delicious on its own.

For dessert, there was only one item on the menu which was
Red Tea Jelly | Pearls | Cream (S$5)
red tea jelly, tapioca pearls, cream
It was like a reconstructed version of Taiwanese bubble milk tea.

The buffet restaurant was well known for its Penang buffet since the 1970s. For a weekday night, the place was packed with customers. Besides the penang fare, one could also find cold seafood such as crayfish, cooked prawns and mussels on ice.

Can't help noticing that everyone just went straight for Tow Kwa Pok. The moment one opened the cover, it smelt so mouth watering. Stuffed with minced pork and vegetables, topped with brown sauce and chilli sauce, it was so delicious.

We were lucky to get a plate of freshly fried Char Kway Teow which one could taste the wok hei in it. Remember to help yourself the crispy pork lards. Accompanied the meal with Teh Tarik which tasted not bad at first but felt watered down after having the heavy stuffs. The manager said said that the restaurant used to served Teh Halia (Ginger Tea) but replaced it with Teh Tarik after feedback from customers.

There was a number of live stations for Hokkien Mee Thng, Penang Laksa, Kway Teow Thng, Ark Thui Mee Sua Thng, Kueh Pie Tee, Popiah, and Ban Chang Kueh. The broth for the Hokkien Mee Thng was quite rich and flavourful. The Penang Laksa was not bad but the broth was not spicy and sour enough for local Penang taste. The Ban Chang Kueh was light and crispy even after left on the table for quite sometimes. It was made freshly by an old auntie who looked old enough to be my grandma.

There was also rare local dishes such as Char Moey and Nasi Ulam which were rare to find these days, but the porridge was lacking of wok hei taste, while the other latter was kind of bland. The Pig Stomach Soup was full bodied and peppery without offending smell or taste from the meat.

For dessert, the freshly scooped Tau Huay with Gula Melaka was smooth with kind of an old school feel. The Apom Bokwa was soft and went quite well with the banana sauce. The assorted kuehs such as Kueh Dadar, Kueh Bengkah, Pulut Tai Tai (served with Kaya), Kueh Talam, Abuk-Abuk, Kueh Lapis, Ang Ku Kueh (Tau Sa), and Rice Bengkah  were cut into small pieces. Soft and yummy.

The restaurant was small so it was best to make a reservation before coming. I was showed to a counter seat. Great service from the staff who covered my bag with a sliky cloth. 


For lunch it was 4 course lunch set with a choice of main, served with refillable green tea.Course 1 : Homemade tofu
The tofu was served hot in a cup , topped with uni (sea urchin). The texture was very light and smooth.Course 2 : Appetizier Platter
Seasonal otsukuri (sashimi) : otoro (fatty tuna), big squid, and tai (Sea Bream)
Seasonal cold appetiser : Aburi (torched) scallop, topped with ikura
Salmon sushi roll
Smoked duck
Fried vinegared fish
Tako (octopus)
Egg roll with shrimp roe
The unique item here turned out to be the plain looking egg roll. It was so light, airy and fluffy. One was thinking about of steamed cake. Not the usual firm and too sweet version.
Course 3/ Main Course : Stewed agu pork (S$68++)
Served with refillable Pickled vegetables (kelp, chinese cabbage, cucumber), Hokkaido rice (today's flavour was abalone), Miso soup (today flavour's was tiger prawn)
The kelp pickle was quite crunchy, with texture similar to black fungus. The miso soup was served with a cake which packed with crunchy bouncy pieces of prawn meat in it.  The rice was quite flavourful on itself with bits of abalone. Although not melt in the mouth type, the fatty parts was not jelat. Dipped the meat with the powder for a spicy kick in taste.Course 4/ Dessert : Fruits jelly
Japanese strawberry, mango and lychee packed in the jelly, topped with mango puree.
It was light with sweetness from the fruit itself.

Overall the food was delicious. The staff made an effort to introduce the dishes.