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midas400
This is midas400 living in Punggol. I am a engineer, work in Ubi. I like to hang out in Orchard, Serangoon, Tampines. Japanese, Singaporean, Cantonese/Hong Kong are my favorite cuisines. I also love Restaurant, Café and Roasted Meat, Dim Sum, Seafood.
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Categories : European | Fusion | Hotel | Steaks and Grills

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.com/2015/12/birthday-lunch-at-halia-raffles-hotel.html

Halia, a well known fine dining establishment in the F&B scene, with numerous accolades in it's name, was the venue of choice for our Nov sistas birthday celebration. I've heard only good words for this restaurant, so it's high time we give this place a try.

 

 
The Raffles Hotel's branch has the same garden theme as its big sister at the Botanic gardens, with added colonial vibes. Planted foliage matched with colonial style black and white theme decor, and tall classic French windows giving the interior natural lighting during the day. Check out the centerpiece, a carved wooden table made from a 150yrs old tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Interesting table setting with cutlery housed in an old school tin container and ice water served in a wine/beer bottle. The menu here showcased modern European dishes with Asian influences.

 

 
We ordered a main course each and two appetizers for sharing.

For drinks, I had the Ginger Jive $12++, a concoction of fresh ginger, fruits and wild honey. I love its refreshing fruity taste with subtle hints of ginger kick. Some of my friends had their signature Halia Infusion $10++, a ginger drink served with wild honey (hot/cold). The ginger taste was more prominent for this beverage as compared to my mocktail.

 
Appetizers were served shortly after we placed orders. Crispy salt & chilli squid $15++ served with piquant mayo and ginger & spring onion lime dip, and Potato fries $8++ served with piquant mayo and truffle aioli dip. Both were delish and addictive to munch on.

 

 

 
The main courses did not take long to be served but alas, they keyed in the wrong order for two of our dishes. The apologetic staff explained the error to us, and quickly served up another set of appetizers (on the house) for us to kill time (another 15mins wait) while they prepare the dishes. Good service recovery from the restaurant!

My Halibut en Papillote $44++, baked fish fillet wrapped in parchment paper with mirin broth and veggies, served with sushi rice and wakame. This was a fabulous dish, fish was succulent and well infused with flavors. The rice topped with seaweed and cucumbers has a nice contrast of textures too. Thumbs up.

 
My friend's Slow Cooked Canadian Pork Loin $33++, was amazingly tender despite its 2" thickness. We suspect it has been sous vide for long hours before pan frying to achieve the nice browning on its exterior. Another excellent dish.

 
Steak & Eggs $30++, with extra Bacon top up at $4++, served with grilled tomatoes, poached eggs & spinach on toast, and buttery Béarnaise sauce. The steak's doneness was just right, retaining its moist and juicy texture, wonderfully executed.

 
To end the enjoyable lunch on a sweet note, complimentary dessert was served. Crème Brûlée with Rum & Raisins ice cream, and a Happy Birthday message. This simple looking dish tasted much better than its looks, we were not disappointed.

 
Halia definitely lived up to its reputation as one of the best restaurants in town. Magnificent food, incredible service, coupled with lovely ambiance, a great choice for that special occasion you are planning to celebrate. Prices could be a little on the steep side but it is well worth the money spent. We utilized two The Entertainer App 1 for 1 Mains vouchers and waived about $60++ off the bill, a good deal indeed.

Halia also has an Al fresco bar just outside the restaurant.

 

 

 
 
Date of Visit: Nov 14, 2015 

Other Ratings:
Taste
 5  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 3

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Shin Minori Japanese Restaurant Smile Jan 03, 2016   
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Categories : Japanese | Restaurant | Sushi/Sashimi | Buffet

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.com/2015/12/food-tasting-shin-minori-japanese.html

Tagged along Pauline to another food tasting. This time, we're at UE Square shopping Mall to try out the Ala Carte Dinner Buffet at Shin Minori Japanese Restaurant.

 

 

 

 
Located at level 3 of the shopping mall, Shin Minori (meaning New Harvest) is adorned with Zen inspired dark wood furnishings with clean lines and cozy warm lighting.

 

 

 

 
This casual Japanese diner offers wallet friendly All-you-can-eat Lunch and Dinner Ala Carte buffets. The buffet menu is definitely one of the most extensive ones I've seen, with more than 160 items to choose from! Fortunately, the restaurant has implemented a handy tablet ordering system where customers can browse the categorized food sections with ease, and place order for dishes online.

 
For the Ala Carte buffet menu, drinks and beverages are not included in the buffet prices, but complimentary ice water is served, and replenished, at every table. We started with some chilled juices while we ponder over what to order from that huge selection of food.

 
Apple juice & Lime juice $4.50++ ea.

The food arrived pretty quickly after order submission via the tablet. Most items are served in single portions (some in pairs), serving sizes are smallish which is good as we can order more variety to try.

 
Rice, noodle, chawanmushi & soup

 
Wakame

 
Garlic fried rice

 
Mentai roe pasta

 
Sashimi moriwase platter

 
Dragonfly maki rolls

 
Rainbow maki rolls

 
Bacon wrapped asparagus

 
Grill quail eggs & chicken skin

 
Grill chicken meatballs

 
Grill salmon

 
Ebi tempura

 
Eggplant with yuzu miso dressing

 
Cucumber with soy bean paste

Overall, I enjoyed the Sashimi and sushi roll items the most. The raw seafood were extremely fresh, and the colorful Maki rolls actually tasted as good as they looked. Some grilled items were impressive too, the chicken meatballs and grill salmon were really good. The rest of the items were pretty standard in terms of taste.

The restaurant owner offered some of their in-house specialty dishes for us to try. The grilled yellow tail collar was excellent. This dish is not found in the menu and will be served complimentary to their special guests and regulars, based on availability. The other two dishes can be found in the Ala Carte menu.

 
Grilled yellow tail collar

 
Deep fried soft shell crabs

 
Baked scallops

No dinner is complete without desserts, so we each ordered a scoop of Japanese flavor ice cream and sorbet. These are priced at $5.90++ per scoop, or $8.90++ for double scoop.

 
Mixed berries, Matcha azuki ice cream & Yuzu sorbet

Dinner at Shin Minori was a pleasant experience, the buffet spread is extremely impressive, with a reasonable price tag to boot. Definitely a great spot for big groups of friends or family gatherings, where everyone can find something they like to eat here. I would suggest to go for their fresh seafood items which are more worthy of the bucks you're paying.

Buffet Prices

Lunch (MON to SUN)

Adult S$35++

Child S$25++

Dinner (MON to SUN, EVE OF PH & PH) *

Adult S$39++

Child S$29++

*Except Christmas Eve, New Year Eve, CNY Eve & Special Occasions
 
Date of Visit: Nov 16, 2015 

Dining Offers: 試食活動


Other Ratings:
Taste
 3  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 3  |  
Price
 3

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Local Lobsterfest Buffet at Lime Smile Aug 10, 2015   
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Categories : Multi-Cuisine | Hotel | High Tea | Desserts and Cakes | Buffet

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/local-lobsterfest-buffet-at-lime.html

The local F&B dining scene has been in a festive mood as the nation's Golden Jubilee celebration draws near. For SG50, Lime restaurant's culinary team has put together an irresistible menu of all-you-can-eat Maine lobster buffet dinner, a collection of lobster dishes with local and international influences. These will be served on top of the regular international buffet spread, coupled with free flow Tiger beer, juices, local drinks and specialty coffee/tea.

The Lobsterfest buffet dinner happens only on Wednesdays, it was so popular that we need to make reservation more than a month in advance.

 
Lime, is an uber chic modern restaurant with high ceilings and full length glass windows, dressed with eye catching contemporary decor and stylish furnishings.

 

 

 
Semi private room

 

 

 
The dinner buffet was lined up along a stretch of open kitchen, with chefs hard at work to churn out freshly prepared dishes, a la minute. Let's check out the impressive spread before tucking in.

 
Sushi & sashimi

 
Fresh seafood

 
Oysters!

 
Maine lobsters

 
Prawns & scallops

 
Lobster pasta live station

 

 
Lobster & seafood paella

 

 

 
Lobster laksa live station

 
Black pepper lobster

 
Chili Lobster

 
Lobster, Kam Heong style

 
Cooked food station

 

 
Drinks & juices

 

 
Matcha fountain

 

 
Desserts station

 

 

 

 

 
Ice cream station

 
Nonya dessert station

 

 
After feasting our eyes with that gigantic buffet spread, we had to quickly make a move to grab the lobsters dishes before they ran out...remembering that the restaurant was fully booked on all Wednesdays for the entire month!

As dinner progresses, long queues always build up at the lobster stations whenever new replenishment was served, and they were wiped out real quick! Here's what I managed to grab for dinner...none of the dishes disappoints, and please save space for desserts!

 
Lobster, prawns, scallops, oysters & mussels

 
Sushi & Salmon sashimi

 
Lobster laksa

 
Chili lobster w/ mantou

 

 
Crab ball double boiled soup

 
Durian pengat...must eat!

 
DIY Nonya rojak

 
Bo bo cha cha

 
Raspberry gelato

The food here tasted as good as they looked, expertly prepared, with premium quality ingredients and excellent presentation. We all agreed that the quality and variety offered matches the hefty price tag of $98++ per person. Fine food, stunning ambiance, and great service, such a nice way to celebrate the nation's 50th birthday!

Prices

SGD98++ per adult

Includes unlimited local drinks, beer, chilled juices, soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea

SGD49++ per child (below 12yr old)

Includes unlimited local drinks, chilled juices, soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea

- Offer is valid every Wednesday, until 30 December 2015

 

 
Restrooms hidden behind these mirror doors...cool.

 
Lobby

 
 
Date of Visit: Jul 15, 2015 

Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 5  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 3

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Dinner at Miam Miam @Tampines One Smile Aug 08, 2015   
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Categories : Japanese | Fusion | Restaurant | Desserts and Cakes | Pasta

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/dinner-at-miam-miam-tampines-one.html

Have heard and seen a lot about this Jap-French style cafe before my visit to Miam Miam. The food and drinks menu here is extremely similar to Hoshino Coffee, another hugely popular Jap-French style cafe. However, Miam Miam does chocolate flavor desserts while Hoshino only does Matcha and original flavors. I am here specifically to try their chocolate dessert.

The cafe has a cozy industrial style decor, the vibe is neither French nor Japanese though, but I do like the sight of the cheerfully colored chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Menu with lotsa pictures and description to aid patrons in their food choices.

 

 

 
I picked out a main course of pasta, a chocolate dessert and a drink to go with the meal. The Ice Matcha Latte w/ Softee $8.80++ was not too bad, the matcha ice cream dissolves slowly into the latte making the green tea taste richer as dinner progresses, nice.

 
The Chicken Teriyaki Spaghetti $16.80++, came with pan seared chicken slices, shimeji mushrooms, Japanese leeks, smoky bacons, topped with thick Nippon sauce and sprinkles of Japanese nori and roasted sesame seeds. This dish hits the spot with the tender juicy chicken in delish teriyaki sauce, complimented by big chunks of savory bacon to accentuate the taste, which pairs perfectly with the al dente pasta. I love it!

 

 
Big chunks of bacon

Chocolate Molleaux $9.80++, dark chocolate cake with molten center served with vanilla softee. Very good quality dark chocolate was used in this dessert, the choco flavor was really dense and aromatic. The warm molten center did not flow out like lava but was moist and creamy, rather well executed I would say.

 

 
My solo dinner at Miam Miam went better than I expected, the food though pricey was well prepared, with good quality ingredients and scored well in the taste department. I would recommend it for an occasional splurge.

 
Date of Visit: Jun 26, 2015 

Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 4  |  
Price
 2

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Categories : Cantonese/Hong Kong | Food Court | Roasted Meat

As the country gears up for the celebration of its 50th year of independence, many local F&B establishments are holding their own kind of events to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of SG50. At Food Republic, friends and families from all walks of life will be able to take part in the 'Let’s Makan Food Trail' free of charge! Here's a glimpse of what to expect at the Food Trail.

 

 

 
The bloggers food tasting session was held at the Food Republic @Wisma Atria, the revamped Foodcourt which spans 23,000sq feet with seating capacity of 800. The food stations and 60s-inspired kiosks curving around the perimeter of the space are accented with chengai wood individually sourced from Asia Pacific, and mosaic tiles filled with Southeast Asian inspired motifs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Food Trails event began with a spokesperson introducing the dining concept of the newly revamped Food Republic at Wisma Atria, and the interactive games and fun activities we will be experiencing during the tasting session.

 
We were first divided into several groups of 4-6pax, and had to come up with a Foodie team name and team flag. Our team leader, Maureen (a.k.a. MissTamChiak), blessed with talents in arts n crafts, helped drew the super cute team flag!

 

 
The hawker food makan session kick started with a popular snack of Popiah, followed by a main course of Hokkien mee and a side of BBQ chicken wings. In between the makan session, a mini game of 'Kopi challenge' was introduced to give everyone an insight to SG's unique kopi 'ordering system'.

 
Waiting for the professional to finish taking pics with her 3 cameras tongue 

 

 

 

 

 
Can you identify the Kopi O, Kopi C, Kopi siew dai and Kopi kosong?

 
Our team Rep for the Kopi challenge

The foodie fun continued with 'Guess the Dish' word puzzles for the subsequent 3 main courses where the team must consume the dishes in the fastest time possible. Stress level overload...

 

 

 

 

 

 
The activity pace then slowed down a little with simple quizzes for teams to win themselves some food vouchers, over a plate of delicious roast meats from my fave stall, Guan Chee HK Roast.

 

 

 
To end the event on a sweet note, we got to have some fun with the DIY dessert of Ice Kacang. Pauline, who used to work for McDonald's was an absolute pro in this!

 

 

 
This was indeed a fun-filled afternoon, where friends and families bonded over games and yummy food. Wanna experience this yourself? Join the fun at the Food Republic Let's Makan Food Trail at:

Session 1

Date: Saturday, 29 Aug 2015

Time: 1pm - 3pm

Venue: Food Republic @ Wisma Atria

Session 2

Date: Saturday, 5 Sep 2015

Time: 1pm - 3pm

Venue: Food Republic @ VivoCity

Online Registration Website: www.foodrepublic.com.sg

Seats are limited for both sessions (40pax each), so hurry and register online now!

***Thank you Food Republic for hosting us, we had fun.***

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/sg50-celebration-at-food-republic-lets.html
 
Date of Visit: Jul 25, 2015 

Dining Offers: 試食活動


Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 3  |  
Service
 3  |  
Clean
 3  |  
Price
 3

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