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 & soupWakameGarlic fried riceMentai roe pastaSashimi moriwase platterDragonfly maki rollsRainbow maki rollsBacon wrapped asparagusGrill quail eggs & chicken skinGrill chicken meatballsGrill salmonEbi tempuraEggplant with yuzu miso dressingCucumber 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 collarDeep fried soft shell crabsBaked 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

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 - 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.

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  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

Been eating quite a bit of Korean lately, especially since many Korean chicken joints have set foot in SG. Many are doing brisk business with crowds and queues at peak dining hours. My most recent visits were to Chicken Up at Century Square, and Ssiksin Chicken at NEX.

Chicken Up

Located at a corner of Century Square, opposite Starbucks at Tampines mall, Chicken Up has both indoor and Al fresco dining areas. Other than fried chicken, they also serve up a few Korean delicacies to add some variety to the menu.We picked out two types of fried chicken, a noodle dish and 2 sides for sharing. Onion Bomb $12++, Kimchi Fries $18++, Jabchae $14++, Ganjang Wings $12++ and Spicy Up $18++.The Onion bomb was much smaller in size than expected, taste alright with the unique batter dressed with Korean spices. The Kimchi fries was a disappointment, fries were not well executed, and the sauces wasn't nice at all. The Korean fried glass noodles, Jabchae, was good but too pricey for a vegetarian dish without seafood or meat. As for the fried chicken, the Spicy Up had crispy skin and tender meat but wasn't well marinated, meat was completely tasteless. The Ganjang soy sauce wings fared better though but also lacks wow factor.

To end the meal we ordered the photogenic and overpriced Melon Bingsoo $20++ for sharing. The rock melon itself was good but overall not worthy of its price tag.

 

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2015/08/korean-chicken-craze-chicken-up-ssiksin.html