For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/food-dine-among-the-greens-macritchie-reservoir-park-mushroom-cafe-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

If having a leisure brunch, lunch or afternoon tea in midst of lush greenery appeals to you, MacRitchie Reservoir Park houses a modest cafe that will whet your appetite.

Located just a short walking distance away from the park’s new green two-storey carpark with 300 parking lots, MacRitchie Mushroom Cafe is a popular with the park’s patron & the nearby office crowd.

The cafe offers local breakfast delights from 7am to 10.30am.

And a good spread of lunch & dinner choices from 10.30am onwards at really reasonable prices. But since my colleagues were all raving about its curry chicken, I decided to go for the curry chicken – noodles version.

Plus an ice cold beer to go with it

Being part of Old Chang Kee, the cafe offers popular finger snacks for afternoon tea breaks as well.

My Curry Chicken Noodles was served piping hot and it sure looks fiery. The curry was fragrant and is a unique mix of sweet & spicy. The generous chunks of chicken absorbed the curry really well and were tender to bite. My only regret was ordering the noodles…. they do not go well with the curry & tasted soggy…

Alvin’s Curry Chicken Rice was beautifully presented in a Yin Yang Bowl. The rice was definitely the better companion.

Joyce tried the beef stew and wasn’t impressed by it. The meat was a bit too tough for her liking. I took a mouthful of potatoes & gravy. The gravy was hearty & luscious perhaps they just need to work on getting the beef more tender.

Enjoying gorgeous view of nature while sipping hot delicious curry, lunch with colleagues has never been better.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places:
http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/food-nolboo-hangari-galbi-korean-bbq-restaurant-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

My friends and I decided to re-visit Nolboo Hangari Galbi (Orchard Central) after our previous pleasant experience with its Korean Steamboat-styled Stew. This time round, we are back to sample their grill meat offerings.

We were greeted with an inviting red bean with pumpkin congee as our appetitiser. There wasn’t much of red beans and I could not taste much of the familiar pumpkin either. The congee had a general sweet flavor & reminded me of Tau suan – a sweet Chinese dessert made of split mung beans.

After we are done with the congee, an array of complimentary sides including kimchi, beansprouts, lettuce soon followed. The side dishes were pretty refreshing and rather strong on the senses.

The waiter showed us the uncooked pork belly & marinated chicken before taking it away. I was really puzzled with this odd gesture. Why take the meat again? Just cut it in front and we can start grilling.

While waiting for our meat, we cleaned out a few of the complimentary sides. We got a rude shock when we requested for a replenishment of the sides. Each side replenishment is chargeable! This is so unheard of…..

I was really disappointed when our pork belly was served cooked! For me the fun part of the meal happen during the BBQ process. Argghhh… so disappointed. But apparently, I was the only guy on the table who thinks that way. I have to admit the pork belly was handled really well. Given our amateurish BBQ skills, we would never be able to produce such juicy, titillating morsels.

The marinated chicken was grilled to perfection. We get to experience both the crisp & tenderness of the chicken with every bite. The marination gave the meat a sweet flavor.

Only 3 pieces of Korean lettuce wraps were provided and replenishment is chargeable. I can’t believe this….

I was pretty relectant to order the Ginseng Chicken Soup. If the restaurant serve the genuine Korean Ginseng Chicken, it is going to taste bland. That is how Ginseng Chicken Soup taste in Seoul.

Fortunately for us, the soup served here has made relevant adaptions to cater to Singaporeans. It has strong ginseng aroma and commands the sweetness of traditional Chinese double boiled chicken soup. Yes, we Singaporeans like it strong.

The meal ended with a sweet Black Glutinous Rice with Coconut Milk Dessert.

Overall a decent experience. The pork belly and marinated meat sets were delicious but I still prefer to do the BBQ myself. Given the price paid for the meat sets, I expected to have my complimentary sides replenished free of charge. I will think twice about coming back to this restaurant again.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/food-shatec-bistro-recipes-for-great-food-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

Recipes – A Bistro by Shatec is a student-run restaurant that serves public patrons. I called up a day earlier to book a table for 3. The staff who took my phone reserverations was polite & professional but she did sound a little nervous. With that in mind, we were mentally prepared to lowered our expectations for both the service & food.

The restaurant was just a convenient 10 minutes walk from City Hall MRT Station and the first thing that caught our eyes with their Happy Hour Signboard! Now we know another waterhole for cheap drinks. Hee hee

Interior deco for the restaurant was minimal but it was still a comfortable and cozy environment. We were promptly seated and soon ordered.

While chatting & waiting for the food to arrive, it was interesting to observe these young chefs working and interacting with one another behind the food preparation counter. They are clearly a close bunch and they seem to really enjoy what they do. It does brings back fond memories from my previous youth part time stint at MacDonald’s.

Our Mushroom Velouté ($7.50) came quickly. This starter consist of field mushrooms simmered in light velouté with a hint of truffles oil. Despite its ingredients, the soup had a really strong ginseng aroma & a slight bitter taste. Totally unexpected flavor.

The main dishes took quite a while to arrive. The waiter meekly explained to us that the kitchen is assembling the full order so as to serve everyone together. The food that was eventually presented in front of us was fortunately worth the wait.

I ordered the Braised Beef Cheek Asian Flavoured ($23.90). Just as stated in the menu, the marinated beef cheek was braised to perfection. The meat was so tender that it seems to just melt in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised!

Our Pan Seared Seabass with Garden Vegetable Ragout ($18.90) was replaced with a Red Snapper Fillet and accompanied with garden vegetable stew. I only managed to get a single bite. Taste pretty normal to me but then again I am no fish lover.

The Alfredo Cream with Pan Roast Cajun Flavoured Chicken ($14.90) saw spaghetti cooked in wine cream sauce, serve with Pan Roast Cajun Marinated Chicken and Garden Peas. The sauce went really well with the pasta.

In summary, the students wowed us with their great culinary skills. Despite the slight wait for the main dishes, both service & food were way above our expectations. I will definitely be back for more great food & service at a really decent price.

Besides dinner, the restaurant is also a great place for afternoon coffee & snacks.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/food-peranakan-cuisine-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

During the peak of Little Nyonya, I went to 3 different peranakan restuarants to try out the food and here’s my take on True Blue.

This Peranakan restaurant is found in Armenian Street, very very close to The Substation and the new Peranakan Museum.

The ambience is amazing. It really feels like stepping into a peranakan home. I feel like a little baba already.

But I must comment that the food is pretty pricy. In the end, we only order 3 dishes….. which the most signature dish was Yu Zhu Mixed Vegetables from Little Nyonya.

The food was not as fantastic as shown on TV but I am not convinced that I have tasted the best of nyonya dishes.

Come here if you are more into ambience rather than the peranakan cuisine. I have tasted better peranakan cooking elsewhere.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/

For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/food-peranakan-cuisine-singapore/ or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/Aspirant81

During the peak of Little Nyonya, I went to 3 different peranakan restuarants to try out the food.

Do not expect much of ambience dining at Guan Hoe Soon. It looks like a normal traditional chinese restaurant found at Geylang with minimal decoration but the peranakan cuisine served here is among the best that I have tasted.

Come here if you are more into the peranakan cuisine rather than ambience. The food is delicious at a very reasonable price and portion.

Please pardon my blog write up as this was done a few years ago when I just started out blogging. Did not want to change anything in the post as it does brought about chuckles when I look back at my amateurish writing.

You may also like to check out my posts on other delicious food places: http://aspirant1981.wordpress.com/restaurants-cafe-eateries-food-list/