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Melon Soda
This is Melon Soda . Japanese, Korean are my favorite cuisines. I also love Bakery, Café and Desserts and Cakes, Dim Sum, Ice Cream and Gelato, Cake and Chocolate.
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Bakery Cuisine Smile Feb 09, 2014   
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Categories : Japanese | Bakery

 
Bakery Cuisine is a bakery that was initially set up to cater to office workers on the go. Step into the bakery, and you can immediately see the difference from the usual bakeries. The place is spacious, with their breads neatly organized and arranged in a minimal amount of display counters. Their set-up is clutter-free and fuss-free and certainly designed with busy office workers in mind. Here, instead of picking out breads yourself from rows and rows of display units, you will just need to tell the staff the breads or confections you want from the few display counters and they will pick and bag it for you.

 
If you think that some of the product offering here, like the Dorayaki in the photo above, is suspiciously similar to Dora Keiki, that is because Dora Keiki is a brand by Bakery Cuisine to promote a new line of Japanese-style cakes and confections inspired by the success of their Dorayaki.

 
There is also the usual range of bakery buns here like Curry Bun ($1.30), Chocolate Mexico ($1.30) and Vienna Sausage ($1.50). I find their variety to be quite limited compared to the wide variety you can usually find at most other local bakeries, but there are a few interesting flavours here like the Charcoal Red Bean Bun ($1.50).

 
Double Cheese ($1.30 each)
This simple bun consists of just plain bun with melted cheese and a light sprinkling of sugar on top, making it quite a sweet but cheesy bread. I'd have personally preferred it without the sugar, but the taste is quite decent overall.

 
Char Siew Bun ($1.50)
I find this visually good-looking bun to be slightly tastier than the Double Cheese. The bread is soft while the tasty char siew filling is also slightly firm to chew on.

 
Cheesecake ($1.50)
The texture of this Japanese cheesecake is a little like sponge cake and is rather cottony soft. It is also quite creamy but rather mild-tasting. I didn't find this sweet at all, which will be good news for people who doesn't like their cakes too sweet.

 
Mini Tau Sar Piah ($4.00 for 10)
Crumbly and salty, the tau sar filling is quite densely packed and is a treat to munch on. This actually costs $0.50 each but you can get 10 for only $4.00, which is quite worthwhile.

The prices here are quite average for a bakery but while there, we were told that there is also a promotion where we could buy any 5 breads for only $6.00 (we got 4 Double Cheese and 1 Char Siew Bun). We were not aware of this promotion so we appreciate that the staff took the initiative to inform us about it.

Overall, I'd recommend the Mini Tau Sar Piah as well as the Dorayaki, QQ Mochi and Hokkaido Custard Cake which are also part of the product line at Dora Keiki. But do note that the flavour range at Bakery Cuisine is not as extensive as Dora Keiki.

 
Recommended Dish(es):  Mini Tau Sar Piah,Dorayaki,Hokkaido Custard Cake,QQ Mochi
 
Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 5  |  
Price
 4

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Strawberry Roll & Apple Strudel Smile Feb 09, 2014   
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Categories : Bakery | Halal

This simple kiosk with their simple green "Polar" signboard is easy to spot from afar. On one side, there are counters for chilled treats like cakes and eclairs while the other side is a counter for hot food like the pies. I like the Chicken Pie from Polar Puff, but it wasn't available when I went this time, so I decided to get my next Polar Puff favourite, the Strawberry Roll, instead.

 
Strawberry Roll ($1.30)
I usually tend to go for chocolate when it comes to cakes or rolls like this but I just love the Strawberry Roll from Polar Puff. The cake roll is consistently soft, light and fluffy, and the strawberry jam in between taste quite concentrated, which may be a little sweet for some, but just nice for me.

 
Apple Strudel ($1.70)
The Apple Strudel seems a tad small but it is quite flaky and crispy, with a decent amount of sweet applesauce filling inside. The addition of raisins to the filling also adds to the sweetness of the strudel. While I find the Apple Strudel quite decent, I still prefer their Chicken Pie over it, but it is nonetheless still worth a try.

Their prices are pretty standard but I'd love to see more availability and variety of the pies and puffs at a single point of time, as certain puffs are usually either not available or sold out. This also seems to be the case at the branch at Causeway Point. But otherwise, the service at Sembawang Shopping Centre is pretty decent.

 
Recommended Dish(es):  Strawberry Roll,Chicken Pie
 
Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 5  |  
Price
 4

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Categories : Steaks and Grills

What to do when you are on a budget but want a decent meal in a comfortable environment that isn't a fast food outlet? Go to Hot Tomato of course! Its clean and modern decor in its signature colors of orange and white makes it a pleasant and lively place for a casual meal with friends or family. Incidentally, orange is also known to be stimulating to the appetite. lol

 

 

 
Big appetite or not, the menu here is not as extensive as I'd like, but there is still a sufficient variety of meals to choose from, such as the mains, grills & spaghetti, pasta, and soup, salads and sides. Best of all, the dishes here are mostly pretty affordable and there are set meal upgrades that you can opt for a more filling meal without busting your budget by too much.

 
Teriyaki Chicken Aglio Olio ($8.60)
This came with quite a decent portion of grilled boneless chicken thigh on spaghetti aglio olio with a side of crunchy salad. The chicken chop was juicy and tender, and the sauce was pretty tasty and peppery. The aglio olio was cooked al dente and it was also evenly seasoned, although I thought that the flavour of the aglio olio could be a little stronger. We did like that the spaghetti wasn't too dry or too oily.

Set Meal Upgrade: Mushroom Soup of the Day + Garlic Bread + Ice Lemon Tea (All Day Upgrade $3.50)
We upgraded our meal for a soup of the day, which was Cream of Mushroom, and a choice of Ice Lemon Tea (you can also choose Lime Juice, Coffee or Tea). Unfortunately, we forgot to take photo of the soup as it came after our mains and by then we were busy tucking into the food. The soup was quite creamy and delicious with a generous serving of chopped mushroom bits. We both gave it the thumb up for taste.

 
Mashed Potato with Pepper Gravy ($3.90)
We also got an extra side of Mashed Potato which came in a small bowl. The mashed potato was smooth and creamy and the sauce was quite peppery. I thought that "peppery" seemed to be a common thread among quite a number of their dishes. The Mashed Potato was a nice addition if you want something more with the meal but I personally found the set upgrades sufficient.

 
Chocolate Cake (Upgrade $2.50)
We also upgraded the meal to add a cake for $2.50 which we initially thought was a good deal as the usual price was $3.50. But we were a tad disappointed when we saw how small and thin it was. Taste-wise, we thought that this wasn't exactly a cake and was more like a condensed version of chocolate mousse but nonetheless it was still quite decent in taste. My only grouse was that there was just too little of this melt-in-your-mouth chocolate treat to really satisfy me!

Overall, the food was quite decent and we thought our meals were quite reasonably priced at just $14/++ each (before service charge and GST) for a complete meal with a main, soup of the day, dessert and drink. It was worth getting the set meal upgrade for the soup although we were split on our verdict regarding the dessert. I thought it was decent enough but my friend didn't find it worth the price especially considering the serving size.

Service was also quite decent despite the dinner time crowd and the staff was fairly responsive. But you might want to go slightly earlier as there is usually a queue during dinner time. One other thing is that they will charge for a glass of water at $0.20 per glass. So do take note if you need a drink but do not plan on upgrading the meal!

 
Recommended Dish(es):  Teriyaki Chicken Aglio Olio
 
Date of Visit: Dec 05, 2013 

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

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Rise & Shine at McDonalds Smile Feb 01, 2014   
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Categories : American | Fast Food | Ice Cream and Gelato | Burgers and Sandwiches | Kids-Friendly

There was a newly released breakfast item on McDonalds's menu a while ago but I managed to try it only recently. We went to the branch at Woodlands Civic Centre on a weekend morning and there was quite a long queue but fortunately we managed to find a seat rather quickly. We wasted no time getting our order upon securing the seat.

 
Sausage McMuffin Set ($4.00)
One of my favourite item on the McDonald's breakfast menu. English muffin with a tasty sausage patty and just a slice of cheese has never tasted so yummy! The hash brown was also very crispy on the outside and definitely best eaten on the spot. I normally take away the food but eating them here while they are still piping hot definitely has its perks. The tea was run-of-the-mill Lipton tea though.

 
Sunrise Roll Sausage Set ($4.50)
This was basically the same sausage patty as the one in the Sausage McMuffin, except that they just cut it into half. The patty came sitting on top of soft and fluffy scrambled egg and cheese blanketed in a whole wheat tortilla wrap. It was quite decent in taste and I liked the scrambled egg, but the portion of the entire wrap was really quite small and not very filling.

 
The Sunrise Roll Sausage Set cost $0.50 more than the Sunrise Roll Ham Set and it also came with a side of hash brown and a cup of coffee, which was unfortunately too diluted and lacking in both aroma and taste. You could swap the hash brown for a cup of corn but we went for the hash brown instead.

Overall, I personally still preferred the Sausage McMuffin set. It is not only tastier but also more filling and more value for its price! There is also a McCafe here serving beverages like Cappuccino and desserts like brownies, cakes and pies.

 
I've previously tried the Darn Good Brownie ($4.20) here which came drizzled with chocolate sauce. This was quite decent but not as rich as I'd like and I didn't really find it to be that darn good. The texture was more cakey than fudgy and I'd have liked it to be a tad more moist and fudgy, but that's just my personal preference. It'd have been awesome if it had come paired with vanilla ice cream though. lol

 
Recommended Dish(es):  Sausage McMuffin,Hash Brown
 
Other Ratings:
Taste
 4  |  
Environment
 4  |  
Service
 4  |  
Clean
 5  |  
Price
 4

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Categories : Shanghainese | Restaurant | Dim Sum | Noodles

With Chinese New Year looming, we decided to have an early family dinner in addition to the usual reunion dinner and we voted on Paradise Dynasty 2 at Causeway Point for our pre-CNY "bonding session". lol

 
Paradise Dynasty 2 is a casual dining restaurant offering both northern and southern Chinese cuisine with a balanced mix of traditional taste to suit the traditionalist in every family while its refreshing take on delicacies like the Xiao Long Bao will help to cater to the taste of the younger generation. The decor is not as grand and "majestic" as the Ion branch, although it is still quite pleasantly decorated in a contemporary Oriental style that is inviting and comfortable enough for our purpose.

 
The four of us went slightly earlier, around 6pm, on a weekend evening before the dinnertime crowd started forming, and was rewarded with a seat almost right away. The place wasn't too noisy at this time which made it quite conducive to conversations around the table while enjoying our food, but it did get progressively noisy once the crowd started filing in.

There was a menu specially catered to those wanting to have their CNY dinner here, but after some consideration, we decided to skip it and just order all our favourite food ala carte from the menu instead. Nothing like sitting down with your family to have a wonderful meal with your favourite dishes!

 
Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao ($13.80)
You know this got to be good when even my mum who is a fussy eater gave it the thumb up. The skin was very delicate; it was strong enough to hold the ingredients inside but thin enough to break easily upon poking or biting to release the clear, savoury broth into the spoon. The meat was also quite tender and well seasoned. Flavours available were Ginseng, Foie Gras, Black Truffle, Cheesy, Crab Roe, Garlic, Szechuan and Original. These Xiao Long Bao were meant to be eaten in order so that the stronger flavours would not overshadow the more subtle ones, but we ordered it to share between the four of us so we just took and ate whatever each of us liked. it I enjoyed the Black Truffle and Cheese, while my mum adored the Original. Highly recommended!

 
Shanghai Fried Rice ($10.80)
Instead of white rice, we decided to get the Shanghai Fried Rice to go with the rest of our dishes and the portion was quite enough for 3-4 person. This was pretty fragrant and flavourful with small cubes of meat, seafood and fried egg in it. All of us gave it the thumb up and I love that it wasn't too oily too. If you're planning have a bowl of rice with your dishes, I'd recommend getting the Shanghai Fried Rice instead of white rice. It may cost more but at the very least, it'd make the meal more flavourful and enjoyable!

 
Drunken Chicken ($7.80)
This was served chilled and the aroma of the wine was quite strong. The chicken meat was silky smooth and succulent while the skin was quite fatty. However, the portion was pretty small, probably just sufficient for a person or two. My dad enjoyed this dish although the rest of us found it okay.

 
Sauteed Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Dried Chilli ($10.80)
Now, this sweet and spicy dish was my favourite! The chicken cubes were very tender and the crunchy cashew nuts were a lovely complement to the chicken. The sauce was very tasty and I love the perfect combination of sweetness and spiciness in this dish. Compared to the Drunken Chicken, the portion was quite decent, although it still ended up insufficient for the four of us because all of us loved this dish and simply couldn't have enough of it!

 
Ma Po Tofu ($9.00)
Another family favourite, this was another spicy dish which impressed us with its burst of flavour in the mouth. The tofu cubes were very smooth and the combination together with the minced meat, black beans, and chilli was just awesome. Every mouthful was simply bursting in flavour and left us wanting more!

 
Deep Fried Pork Ribs with Garlic ($14.80)
This was the most expensive dish out of our entire order, but unfortunately, it was also the least popular among our group. The skin was crispy but other than that, all of us found it to be pretty tough to bite. We ended up not finishing this dish, which was kind of a waste. But it didn't really live up to expectations, especially my mum's who was the one who ordered this.

 
Chilled Aloe Vera and Osmanthus Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice ($3.50)
This light dessert didn't look impressive on first sight but it was quite decent in taste. There was a fair amount of aloe vera bits which was soothing on the throat, while the addition of the tangy lemon juice made this quite a refreshing dessert to have especially after the spicy and fried dishes we ordered.

 
Souffle Egg White Balls Stuffed with Red Bean and Banana ($4.80)
I was expecting something really sweet. To my surprise, this tasted lighter and wasn't as sweet as I had expected, but the icing sprinkled over the balls helped to add an additional touch of sweetness to it. The egg white balls were also quite soft although it'd have been nice to have more of the red bean and banana filling stuffed in it. My dad wasn't a fan of this dish but taste-wise, I found it to be pretty interesting and certainly wouldn't mind trying it again in future!

 
Pan Fried Pork Dumpling ($3.90)
This was a last minute order and took quite a while to be prepared. It was just lightly crispy at the base but the winning factor was the consistently chewy (or "QQ" as my mum puts it) texture of the skin, which we enjoyed. The meat was also pretty tender. My mum found it quite comparable to the Xiao Long Bao.

All in all, the Sauteed Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Dried Chilli and Ma Po Tofu were the clear favourites for all of us and we agreed that these should come highly recommended. We also enjoyed the Shanghai Fried Rice, Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao and Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and found these to be worth ordering as well. My parents were not really fans of the desserts but I personally liked the Souffle Egg White Balls Stuffed with Red Bean and Banana although I'd love to have more stuffed filling in it (I'm just greedy that way). As for the Drunken Chicken and Chilled Aloe Vera and Osmanthus Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice, they were decent but the four of us were divided on the votes. On the other hand, we all agreed that we could have done without the Deep Fried Pork Ribs with Garlic.

One thing worth a special mention here was the service, which was really excellent and the staff were very attentive to our needs. Our cups of Tea ($1.00 per cup) were refilled promptly, frequently and always with a smile. During the time we were there, we were served by about 4-5 staff and all of them were polite and courteous. When the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings took too long to come, one of the staff was apologetic about it and took the initiative to check on its status with the kitchen without any prompting from us at all. It was pretty clear that they tried their best to make our dining experience an enjoyable and pleasant one, despite it being close to full house by the time we were almost done with our meal. Even my mum was suitably impressed. The only slight hiccup was the slightly long wait to pay at the counter near the entrance, as the cashier had an issue processing the payment of the customer before us, but overall, it didn't really marred our experience at Paradise Dynasty 2.

Our total bill came up to $97.93 for four person for a meal of 9 dishes and tea, so that was about $24.48 each. We thought this was really quite reasonable especially considering the quality of food and service we got here. We certainly left feeling like 'royals' after our little feast at Paradise Dynasty 2! lol

 
Recommended Dish(es):  Signature Dynasty Xiao Long Bao,Shanghai Fried Rice,Sauteed Diced Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Dried Chilli,Ma Po Tofu,Souffle Egg White Balls Stuffed with Red Bean and Banana,Pan Fried Pork Dumpling
 
Date of Visit: Jan 25, 2014 

Celebration:  團年飯 

Spending per head: Approximately $25(Dinner)

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

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