Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/11/dinner-at-hai-di-lao-hotpot-clarke-quay.html

Another birthday celebration with evil sista. This time, the birthday girl wanted to have steamboat. So here we are at the hugely popular upmarket steamboat restaurant chain from China. We visited the original branch at Clarke Quay.Take lift here to level 2

This restaurant is well known for its extra services provided on top of premium quality food. Free snacks & drinks, manicure, magazines, kids playroom etc. to ease the waiting time blues as queuing time can be long during peak periods.Waiting areaFruits, drinks & dessertManicure service

We had a reservation, so we didn't get to experience those extra services and was ushered swiftly to our table inside.

The restaurant is quite dimly lit inside. Tables are generally smallish in size and not really catered for large group dining. Our party of 8 adults and 3 kids have to squeeze at one of these square tables. The space around the hotpot on the table is so limited that most of our food were not placed on the table but on a trolley at the side. Good thing is that the serving staffs were all quick to serve us whatever we wanted to cook. They even peeled the prawns and de-shelled cockles when we're ready to cook them.Mala & Chicken soup $22++

The restaurant provided a wide range of condiments and sauces to go with the food. Free flow starters, fruits and dessert are also offered at $4++ per pax. And free flow beverage (Liang teh, Sour plum juice & water) at $3++ per pax.Fruits & saucesDespite having a small table, we still ordered over 20 servings of fresh ingredient to be cooked in the hotpot. A glimpse of what we had for dinner...Pork belly slices $16++Beef slices $18++Fresh prawns $10++Luncheon meat $8++, Tender chicken $12++, Crispy fish skin $8++ & Crab sticks $8++Pork, Prawn & Sotong pastes $22++Enoki mushroom $7++, beancurd skin $6++ & quail eggs $6++Cabbages $4++ & Tanghoon $6++Fresh cockles $8++

We also had 3 portions of the Kungfu noodles 功夫面 $4++ where the staff would perform the pulling of flour dough into noodles by the table side. Photo taking time!The end product was super springy noodles that was a delight to eat...slurp!Kungfu handmade noodles $4++

At the end of the meal, we tried the fruits and soya pudding which were very delish. The serving staffs also presented a complimentary fruit platter for the birthday girl.Hai Di Lao definitely provided great services inline with their reputation. Serving staffs were always prompt and attentive to our needs, soup and drinks were constantly refilled, different size plastic bags to protect the mobile phones, aprons for diners, bag covers and hot towels whenever they saw a need to use them. They are always checking with us if we needed anything. Food wise, ingredients are undeniably fresh and of good quality with a huge variety to boot. Coupled with the unparalleled services (for steamboat restaurants), it was really worth the extra dollars paid.

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/11/saboten-at-t1-changi-airport.html

We had our dinner here just before we depart SG for our Swiss holiday. Saboten is one of the most successful Japanese Tonkatsu chains with over 500 shops in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Canada.Table setting with various condiments and the menu.There's an ongoing Scallop feast promo but we decided to eat something else from the main menu. I had the Chicken Katsu Supreme set $22.50++ which consist of Chicken katsu, Pork tenderloin & Ebi fry. All set meals are served with free flow cabbage, steam rice, miso soup, pickle, appetizer and dessert.Both the chicken katsu and pork katsu were very nicely done with light and crispy crust and tender juicy meat center. The ebi was fresh and succulent, a really delish set meal, living up to the eatery's reputation.Matcha ice cream

The accompanying soup, pickle, appetizer and dessert were all pretty yummy too. The free flow raw cabbage was fresh and crunchy, giving a good balance to the fried items in the meal.

Hubby had the Salmon Variety set $23++ which consist of Salmon katsu, Asparagus cheese roll and Crab cream croquette.The salmon was fresh and cooked just right, meat remains moist and tender despite the frying process. Hubby was also very happy with the creamy croquette and cheesy asparagus roll too.

We had an enjoyable dinner at Saboten. Food was good and reasonably priced, and service was prompt and polite. We'll definitely dine at Saboten again, but probably would choose an outlet in town area as the airport is out of the way for us.

We had a birthday celebration with our evil sista at this medieval themed restaurant. This place is located at level 3 of Vivocity (opposite Daiso). It has both indoor and outdoor entrance, the outdoor facade is much grander with two armored knights guarding the 'castle' doors.The diner was dressed in Halloween theme during the month of October. The interior of the restaurant is furnished with custom made tables, chairs and benches, and more armored knights with swords and shields. The restaurant also boast a scenic harbor view for diners sitting by the full length glass windows.Simple table settings and the menu.Some of us ordered drinks first while we take our time to explore the extensive menu. Most of us had the Bottomless drink $7++ (free flow Coke, Sprite, Fanta grape, Root beer & Ice lemon tea).Bottomless Fanta grape $7++ & Tropic zest $7++Apple juice $5++

We ordered a few sharing platters of Starters Combo sets and one main course each. The food serving were rather huge, we indeed feasted like Kings and Queens for this birthday lunch!Platter C $24.90++Platter A $21.90++Platter D $26.90++Caesar salad $13.50++

The starters were good, I especially liked the Banana bacon bites and the Prawn twisters. The Mussels and Scallops in Platter D were also super fresh. I didn't touch the Caesar salad though as it was covered with loads of cheese.

For main course, I had the Pan Fried fillet of Snapper $23.90++. The chunky snapper fillet was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, very tasty! The roasted potatoes were a nice change from the fried version on the other dishes.Other main courses ordered were Beer Battered Fish & Chips $21.90++, Roast beef & BBQ ribs $35.90++, Dragon tail Aglio Olio $19.90++ and Seafood Marinara $25.90++.All the main courses were huge, even the caesar salad was served in a gigantic bowl. Some of us didn't managed to wolf down everything on the plates. Food was generally yummy, ingredients were fresh and well prepared. I find the menu a little too meaty with very few selection of non meat dishes. Service was good as the diner was quite empty during lunch hours. Overall, it was a nice dining experience.

Full review - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/11/lunch-at-king-louis-grill-bar.html

Full review at - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/10/dinner-at-beng-hiang-restaurant.html

Impromptu dinner with evil sistas again, they knew I had cravings for Asian food due to the lack of it during my recent vacation. So we're heading to Beng Hiang Restaurant for some traditional Hokkien cuisine.

Located just a short stroll away from the Telok Ayer station on Downtown line, Beng Hiang is housed in an old school restored shophouse along Amoy street. The interiors are deliberately designed to look traditionally Chinese.Table setting and menu.We ordered some of the most popular dishes served here, and we started the meal with a thick soup, Fish Maw Soup (M) $40+. The soup was loaded with ingredients, they were very generous with the amount of fish maw used in this soup, needless to say it was incredibly flavorful. Recommended.Ngoh Hiong & Hae Zor (M) $16+, the must order Hokkien staple on every table. However, none of us find it nice, it just tasted really ordinary like those sold at economic beehoon stalls. The Hae Zor (prawn roll) doesn't contain crunchy prawn bits and the Ngoh Hiong lacks fragrance and flavor. Quite disappointed with this dish.Kong Bak Bao (S) $16+, the saving grace came when this dish was served. The Kong Bak (braised pork belly) was super soft, tender and well infused with flavor. The bao wasn't the fluffiest I've eaten, but was acceptable.The star dish of the day, Crispy Roast Chicken (whole) $30+. The chicken was roasted to perfection with delightful crispy skin and moist succulent meat. Serving portion was huge too.Another star dish of the day, Crispy Oyster Omelette (M) $20+. The oysters were fresh and juicy and the omelette was expertly executed, very crispy and yet not greasy...thumbs up!Stir fried Broccoli w/ Scallops (M) $30+, this was delish too, very hard to go wrong with fresh chunky scallops and crunchy broccoli.The Traditional Hokkien Noodles (L) $16+, the second disappointment of the day. A reputable Hokkien restaurant that cannot deliver a tasty Hokkien Mee was unacceptable. Noodles was kinda soggy and sticky, and the dark sauce was seriously lacking in flavor! I wouldn't order this again.Lastly, we're served a small portion of their complimentary dessert, Beancurd skin & Barley sweet soup. It was overly sweet, I added water into it to dilute the sweetness. Not nice.Despite having two of the traditional dishes failing us, we still feel Beng Hiang serves pretty decent Chinese food that is also well priced for a restaurant situated inside the CBD area. The serving staffs weren't really very smiley but we couldn't complain when they don't charge the 10% service charge right?

Full review at - http://midas400.blogspot.sg/2014/10/10yr-anniversary-re-opening-of.html

Ricciotti Riverwalk recently hosted their grand re-opening on 16th October 2014 to unveil a whole new dining concept, design and menu. The restaurant has gone through a complete facelift to offer a new concept of trendy home-style Italian dining experience. The newly renovated eatery has a contemporary and rustic design with industrial influences. The wooden walls and ceiling are made from imported Italian oak that exudes an understated chic.The outlet at Riverwalk is now known as Ricciotti (formerly known as Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill). Ricciotti marks the celebration of a decade with a modern new concept that embraces all things Italia, combining food with the arts, music and culture. I'm glad to be tagging along my friend, Wendy, for its re-opening media party celebration. This party was organized by the Publicist PR company. We'll be sampling Ricciotti's newly revamped Italian menu and also their signature dishes.The party officially kicked off with an opening speech by the restaurant's management giving us some insights to their new dining concept, followed by a live violin performance and creation of art pieces by Italian artists. There will be on-going collaborations with Italian artists from different backgrounds to make the restaurant’s dining experience a more holistic one, surrounding the theme of Italian culture.Free flow of beverages, wine and cocktails were served throughout the event. First up, we had a sharing platter of 5 appetizers, Carpaccio di Polpo (Sliced octopus salad), Asparagi alla Griglia (Grill asparagus w/ parma ham), Polenta herb fries (Cornmeal fries), Panzerotti (Cheesy baked pizza pockets) and Nizzarda salad (Pan seared tuna w/ greens).I personally liked the Grill asparagus with parma ham cos of its savory & smokey aromatic flavor. The Polenta fries was crispy and a delight to eat. The octopus and tuna salads were also refreshing choices to kick start a meal. I didn't touch the pizza pockets cos I don't take cheese.

Next up, a trio of Italian carbo dishes. Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola (Spinach gnocchi w/ cheese), Linguine Al Granchio (Crabmeat, chili & tomato cream) and Risotto ai Frutti di Mare (Assorted seafood).The crabmeat linguine tasted a little like chili crab pasta but a tad too creamy for my liking. The seafood risotto was not bad but the rice was a little hard/uncooked. I left the cheesy gnocchi alone.

Then came the grilled meats platter, Cod fillet w/ spinach tomatoes & thyme, Chicken skewer w/ chickpea dip and Pork ribs w/ potatoes.The Cod fish was uber fresh and tender, very nicely complimented by the sauteed spinach and sundried tomatoes...thumbs up! The chicken skewer was good too, really tender and flavorful. The grill pork ribs was a tad dry due to a lack of complimenting sauces. I enjoyed this platter the most.

The last main course of the day was none other than pizzas, there were supposed to be two 9" pizzas for tasting but we're too full to finish two (plus I don't eat pizzas), so we were only served the Porcini e Scamorza Pizza. It was a thin crusted pizza topped with porcini mushrooms and cow's milk cheese. I figured it was good cos Wendy ate two slices when she's already 'very full'.And finally, desserts to end the dinner on a sweet note. A sharing platter of 4 kinds of desserts. The signature Tiramisu, Carrot cakes, Canella sweet pizza and Soffiatto (Molten chocolate cake w/ gelato).The only dessert I liked was the molten cake with warm creamy center (no lava effect though) and the complimenting Stracciatella gelato. The Tiramisu was not chilled when served, not nice already. The sweet pizza was overly sweet which I didn't like, and the Carrot cake has too much cinnamon in it. Overall, the desserts did not impress me.

Our dining experience at Ricciotti Riverwalk was a pleasant one, the food though a little incompatible for my palate was prepared the authentic Italian way with high quality premium ingredients. I would recommend this place to fans of Italian cuisine, and hope that it remains the destination of choice for authentic yet affordable Italian gourmet food.

**Thank you Ricciotti and Publicist PR for hosting us!