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 roomThe 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 & sashimiFresh seafoodOysters!Maine lobstersPrawns & scallopsLobster pasta live stationLobster & seafood paellaLobster laksa live stationBlack pepper lobsterChili LobsterLobster, Kam Heong style Cooked food stationDrinks & juicesMatcha fountainDesserts stationIce cream stationNonya dessert stationAfter 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 & musselsSushi & Salmon sashimiLobster laksaChili lobster w/ mantouCrab ball double boiled soupDurian pengat...must eat!DIY Nonya rojakBo bo cha chaRaspberry 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 2015Restrooms hidden behind these mirror doors...cool.Lobby

Full review & more food photos - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/12/dim-sum-brunch-at-hai-tien-lo-pan.html

This was the last birthday celebration of the year for our evil sista, the grand finale took place at the Cantonese fine dining restaurant, Hai Tien Lo 海天樓, at Pan Pacific hotel. The semi open concept eatery is located at level 3 with some tables overlooking the uber chic lobby and bar below.Contemporary oriental decor theme and table settings...The Weekend Dim Sum Brunch menu ($68++ per adult, $38++ per child, exclude drinks) is Ala Carte buffet style with limited selection of premium dishes and unlimited offering of dim sum and Cantonese delights.

For the premium dishes under the Chef’s Signatures section, everybody gets a serving of Mini Buddha Jumps over the Wall and Braised Abalone w/ Beancurd in Conpoy sauce, and also 2 choices (out of 5 dishes) of the restaurant's signature creations.

The Buddha jumps over the wall soup was loaded with huge chunks of dried scallops, a whole abalone, bamboo pith and cordyceps flower. Every scoop of this delicious soup was bursting with flavors. The Braised abalone with beancurd was another luxurious crowd pleaser.虫草菌炖迷你佛跳墙干贝汁扒鲍鱼豆腐

As for the 2 choices of chef's creations, we picked the Hokkaido Scallops & Coral Clams in Homemade XO sauce and Deep-fried Sea Fish w/ Mushrooms in Supreme stock. Both dishes were well executed and really tasty.极品酱爆带子珊瑚蚌松菇金汤炸海上鲜

We ordered two servings of Cantonese Roasted Combination Platters with almost everything that's available under the BBQ dishes section. The platters were wiped out in a jiffy!烟薰鸭胸, 烧鸭, 蜜汁叉烧, 脆皮烧腩肉 & 青葱姜酱醉鸡片

There is only about a dozen items under the dim sum menu but we certainly found some hidden gems in there. Staple dishes such as Har Gao and Siew Mai were expertly done. And, new creations such as Sesame Purple Potato Balls w/ Minced Chicken & Mushrooms and Fried Prawn Rolls w/ Mixed Fruit Salad were pretty impressive as well. The Fried Carrot Cake in XO sauce was quite disappointing though, the rest were passable.白玉鲜虾饺鲜肉烧卖皇芝麻蕃薯球Purple Potato Balls w/ Minced Chicken & Mushrooms什果沙律虾筒樱花酱皇萝卜糕肉酱炸豆腐

Some picks from the Appetizers menu, all 3 dishes were delectable.青芒果鱼皮沙律七味椒盐白饭鱼小墨鱼海蜇沙律

The myriad of Main courses we had were all great dishes made with good quality fresh ingredients, we have no complains at all.咸蛋金沙鲜中虾沙丹芥未明虾球镇江香醋排骨皇白灼海中虾鱼子鲜虾仁炒饭

And last but not least, dessert and complimentary birthday cake for the birthday girl. We managed to have a small bowl of yummy Mango Sago dessert despite having 24 dishes prior to this!

The complimentary chocolate fudge cake was chocolaty but too sweet for our liking.杨枝甘露Our dining experience at Hai Tien Lo was a magnificent one, food quality was exceptional and so was the service rendered. However, we felt that they should arrange additional staffs to cater to more patrons during the weekends, getting the staffs to attend to us was taking longer than it should have been for a fine dining establishment like this one. That being said, this is still a fine restaurant worthy of an occasional splurge for those special occasions.

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/08/sumire-yakitori-house-bugis-junction.html

We are back to having impromptu dinners again after a rather long break. The venue of choice, Sumire 笑 Yakitori House at Bugis Junction. This restaurant is the Tokyo brand's first oversea venture outside of its 15 outlets in Japan. Sumire is a casual Japanese style beer house serving grilled skewer items as its main specialty.Upon stepping into the restaurant, you'll be greeted with loud "Irashaimase!" from the entire crew in the restaurant, a usual practice in Japan that is trending in Jap eateries in SG. There is an open concept kitchen where the chefs prepare their customers orders under the scrutiny of the public eye.
We didn't notice this at first but realized later that the kitchen hood that they are using are very good at what it does, the entire restaurant and its patrons didn't reek of BBQ smell at all.The eatery adopts the new iPad ordering system like many modern restaurants in SG. The friendly staffs will explain the ordering process in detail for all new visitors.Once seated, a complimentary bowl of Cabbage Shiodare was served. Fresh raw cabbage leaves drizzled with Japanese salt dressing are a good way to cleanse the palates in between rich tasting dishes, as explained by the staffs. The salt dressing was really delish.Placing orders was a breeze after we got the hang of how the menu lists works. We ended up ordering 17 dishes in total...kinda ambitious for 4pax!
Yuzu Salmon & Avocado salad $3.90++, fresh salmon and avocado cubes served with yuzu ponzu dressing. Nice and refreshing.Choco Balls $2.90++, braised quail eggs in Jap soy sauce. The tiny eggs were nicely cooked with soft creamy center, but we all find the soy sauce a tad too salty for our liking.Sashimi Santen Mori $17.90++, 3 kinds of fresh seafood served with a slice of lemon. Its extremely fresh and juicy, we liked.Tsukune (chicken meatballs) for Ladies $4.90++ per stick, served with Teriyaki-Mayo sauce and Melted Cheese. The Ladies version are made up of 3 bite-sized morsels for easier consumption, whereas Man's version has got two larger balls (sotong ball sized) which have a more satisfying bite for the guys.The chicken meatball itself tastes pretty much like those sold at takeaway kiosk like ToriQ, quite ordinary but the generous topping of teriyaki sauce and creamy mayo makes up for the lack in taste, overall quite ok.
Grilled Tori Kawa (chicken skin) $2.20++, one of my fave chicken parts, a rare find in SG. This was very well executed, the slightly charred edges was crispy and non charred part was tender and springy, coupled with the savory teriyaki sauce...perfection!

 

Daikon Tower $7.90++, Sumire's rendition of the popular oden dish is very interesting, with chunky slices of daikon stacked into a tall tower and dashi broth with several slices of chikuwa and some konjac at the base, topped with bonito flakes. The broth was light yet flavorful, and ingredients were yummy too. Definitely recommended.Bakudan Korokke $7.90++, Sumire's signature dish, a huge croquette ball with a whole soft boiled egg wrapped in the center. Once sliced open, the creamy yolk oozes out from within.This dish looks special but taste so so, the potato was quite dry and bland, we were not very impressed. I wouldn't order this again.
Goma Tebaage (sesame chicken wings) $7.90++ and Crispy Gyoza w/ Yuzu dip $5.90++. We liked the chicken wings, very tasty and skin has a slight crisp, pretty addictive to eat. The gyoza on the other hand was forgettable.Yari Ika Teriyaki $8.90++, grilled sotong with teriyaki sauce. For the price tag, we got quite a big serving of grilled squid which was delicious too, great value for money!Ebi Mentai Mayo $4.90++ per piece. Prawns were fresh, not the best ebi mentai I've eaten but pretty darn good for its price tag. I would order this again.Tamago Oroshi Ponzu $6.90++, this dish was perhaps the only dish that we felt is not worth ordering. The egg was overcooked and didn't taste sweet which we feel is not right.We managed to wiped out all the 17 dishes we ordered. Food quality was mostly hits rather than misses, with pocket friendly prices to boot. For the amount of dishes we had, we each paid only $38 including ++. Service staffs are friendly, helpful and responsive. We love dining at this cozy eatery and will definitely return again for more value for money Japanese fare. Do make reservations in advance cos many people had already found out about this gem, the restaurant was running a roaring business serving a full house crowd even on a weekday evening!

Chef Yamashita, the co-owner of the popular bakery Flor Pâtisserie, has left the joint venture and started his very own bakery. I got the news of this move from posts of follow foodies on FB. His new shop is located in the nostalgic heartland of Tanjong Pagar Plaza.Situated in a quiet corner with a modern minimalist decor theme, Chef Yamashita Japanese Artisan Bakery stood out like a sore thumb among all the old school shops on level 2.Mrs Yamashita, who was manning the shop welcomed us with a sunny smile and Japanese's enthusiasm to serve. At around 4pm, most of the popular pastries were already sold out! I had to make my choice with what's left for the day. I managed to grab the last two pieces of Banana Caramel luna wrap and a few other Petit Gâteau (small cakes).Banana Caramel Luna Wrap $5.90 and Ichigo Luna Wrap $5.90, looked exactly like the ones sold in Japan bakeries. They do not just look good but taste super as well. The vanilla sponge cake was fluffy and light as air, and pairs perfectly with the fresh cream and the generous serving of sweet tasting cut fruits.Thumbs up!Rikyu 利休 $6.80, a Matcha flavored cake with green tea cream atop of green tea meringue roll with fresh cream & azuki bean filling, sprinkled with chopped Japanese chestnuts. This cake is a Matcha fan's dream come true, it has aromatic matcha flavor oozing from inside out.Chocola Hill $6.80, dark chocolate brownie with walnuts topped with chocolate cream and chocolate tuile. The brownie turned out a bit hard to chew after leaving in the fridge overnight, overall passable but no wow factor.Darkcherry Tart $6.80, a cream cheese tart with dark cherry compote topping. Hubby ate this one, he said it was yummy.Do note that all their pastries are freshly made every morning with no added preservatives, and must be refrigerated asap if not consumed within 30-45mins after purchase.


For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/06/chef-yamashita-japanese-artisan-bakery.html

For full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/04/dinner-at-kombi-rocks-diner-opp.html

Today is my actual birthday and hubby is treating me dinner. I picked this Retro themed diner located just opp the Serangoon stadium. The most accessible MRT station is Kovan, take bus 136 and get off at the 4th bus stop, then cross the road.The diner is a mini museum of all things retro, showcasing collections of the owner throughout the years. Beatles merchandises, guitars, metal toys, vintage rotary phone, old school wall clocks, 60s barber chair, and two well kept Vespa scooters on display. The owner is also a Kombi bus fan, thus the name Kombi Rocks, and there's a row of them parked outside the diner.This place serves up local Chinese zichar and Thai dishes. Prices are pretty down to earth with most zichar dishes only slightly pricier than Coffee shop zichar stalls. On top of that, they serve a range of beverages and alcohol usually found in western cafes.We ordered 4 dishes to share for 2pax.
Wok Hei Seafood Horfun $6.50, homecooked style horfun with fresh prawns, pork slices, fishcake and greens. This dish is pretty good, has some wok hei and ingredients were fresh.Signature Red Wine Fried Chicken $15, this is an original creation by Kombi Rocks. The chicken mid wings served with crispy keropok were very tasty, the sweet sauce didn't have much of a wine taste, but still yummy nonetheless.The star dish of the day, Steamed egg with prawns and ginger garlic $35 (market price). The prawns were fresh and succulent and its natural sweetness has gone into the egg custard loaded with ginger and garlic, a combination of perfectly matched flavors...thumbs up!Claypot Fish maw Tofu w/ Fish Slices $30. Braised tofu with assorted veggies and loads of fish maw with some fish slices, served in a huge Fish head curry size claypot. Another homely style dish, very satisfying and filling too!We also ordered a drink each to go with the meal. I had the Cream Soda Float $6, and it came in a jumbo glass jar! The serving is definitely big enough for 2 to share.The vanilla ice cream portion was generous, goes well with the fizzy cream soda...I love this drink!
Hubby ordered a Bistro Mint Tea $5, he said it tasted like regular tea..Our dining experience here was a pleasant one, the food served here was pretty good and prices are pocket friendly (they don't charge GST). The ambiance is the main draw for this casual diner, for people who love all things retro and its a photographer's dream eatery. This is certainly a place worth checking out if you're staying nearby.