For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/28/thai-accent/

Mom was in town and since she loved Thai Cuisine, Hubby treated us to Thai Accent. I too love Thai fare because of the strong aromatic components, complex flavors and spiciness.

Thai Accent is quiet and comfortable, with window seating overlooking the waterfront and Sentosa Island. It was a week night and the restaurant was fairly empty. Service was attentive without being intrusive.

The menu is relatively idiot-proof, in plain English without confusing Thai names. Prices are on the high side.

Mango salad with dried shrimp ($9.90) was ok, nothing remarkable.

I was disappointed with the Tom Yam Seafood in Fire Pot ($23.90). Although the seafood was fresh and the serving generous, it sorely lacked the characteristic spiciness that Tom Yam soup should possess. Something must have gone wrong that day because I had the same soup on 2 other occasions and it was nothing like this.

Pad Thai Fried Noodles with Prawns ($13.90) was competently executed, with a decent amount of peanut toppings on the side. Absolutely satisfying!

Stirred fried minced pork with hot basil leaf ($15.90)-let your tongues revel in this spicy and flavorful dish!

Stirred fried Kway Teow with Pork Ribs ($13.90) was not bad. Beautifully marinated, tender ribs and smooth kway teow with a smoky flavor; mix in the chilli flakes and nuts for an extra kick. What more can I ask for?

We ended our dinner with a very average Pandan Leaf Chicken ($14.90)

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/30/afternoon-tea-buffet-at-10-scotts/

I have not dined in Grand Hyatt before and what attracted me here was a picture of a flowerpot in Her World Magazine.So what’s with this flowerpot? Well, its an ice cream dessert which is part of the afternoon tea spread, made with hazelnut ice cream, crushed biscuits (soil), raspberries(fruits) and edible flowers. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? But upon arrival I was told that flowerpot have been replaced by “fried egg”. Arghs! More on the “fried egg” later….

Recently refurnished 10 Scotts oozes refinement, yet has a relaxing aura, thanks to their chic contemporary décor and warm lighting. Afternoon tea is from 12 noon to 5pm. The first seating is from 12 noon to 2.30pm, while second seating starts at 3pm and ends at 5pm. We picked the 1st seating because there is 30 minutes extra to feast and we can have this meal as our lunch, haha!
Prices are on the high side for such a small spread. $43++ for weekdays and $53++ for weekends; with unlimited tea, coffee hot/iced chocolate and juices. Top up $20 for free flow champagne.

The concept at 10 Scotts is semi-buffet with a local twist on some savory items. There is a buffet line of sweet and savories, tiny selection of breads, cold cuts and cheeses, plus a chiller filled with appetizers, salads and mini pots of ice cream. Sandwiches and some savories are served on a 2-tiered glass stand and these are refillable.

Although the quality of the food is good, the variety is much smaller compared to other hotels such as The Regent’s Tea Lounge and Ritz Carlton’s Chihuly Lounge. Both are very well known and popular for their high-quality afternoon tea buffets with large and interesting spreads. However, I will choose 10 Scotts over any other afternoon tea buffet if I am going to dine with hubby.

This is because 10 Scotts meat dishes beats every other afternoon tea buffet/semi-buffet I have tried so far (Shangri la’s Rose Veranda, St Regis Brasserie Les Saveurs, Regent’s Tea lounge, Fullerton Bay’s Landing Point and Ritz Carlton Chihuly Lounge). So ladies, if your man likes meat, its better to have your afternoon tea here so you won’t see a black face at the end of your tea session.

Service is slow. It took the wait staff ages to prepare the beverages and also refill food items. It was also difficult to get their attention, which was baffling, because not many tables occupied. Culinary staff manning the open concept kitchen were very cheerful, with genuine, infectious smiles.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so now, be prepared to be bombarded by food pics!

I’ll start with the canapes served 2-tiered glass stand, which are refillable. Cucumber sandwich, quiche and beef roll were very ordinary.

The tastier savories are…

Crab Cakes: Packed with succulent crab meat, fried till a prefect shade of golden brown and served with a delicious remoulade sauce.

Freshly prepared Poh Piah

Prawn and Quail Egg Salad

Spiral Curry Puffs with flaky, buttery crusts and addictive fresh curry leaves.

Moving onto the buffet section! Smoked Chicken, Apple and Walnut Salad was drenched in excessive amount of dressing which overwhelmed the natural flavor of the ingredients.

Seafood with vermicelli

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Parma Ham with Rock Melon and Peking Duck

More Peking Duck, boring Sushi and uninspiring assorted breads. Oh, there is curry mutton as well, which is not pictured.

As you can see, the dessert section rather small…

The Dark Chocolate Tarts are divine! Tiramisu lacks the alcoholic punch….

Apple Crumble adorned with a slice of dried apple. Lovely presentation.

“Egg on Toast”, served in a frying pan, is so creative and definitely the highlight of this buffet! The “egg white” is vanilla ice cream while the “yolk” is made from mango passion puree. The “toast” is actually mango sponge cake, “tomato sauce” is raspberry sauce while chocolate chips make up the “pepper”.

Salted caramel ice cream, totally my thing!

Decadent Dark Chocolate ice cream was so good I had 2 servings.

The beverage menu has an extensive list of teas and coffees but what makes 10 Scotts different from other afternoon tea establishments is their free flow orange or pineapple juice. Oh, did I mention they are freshly squeezed?

Rooibos Vanilla tea made from vanilla originating from Madagascar

Classic white tea

We tried both the Iced chocolate and Hot chocolate but both were unremarkable.

Overall an enjoyable experience but with the amount of money spent, we expected more.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/08/02/1872-clipper-tea-and-co-teas-and-tea-snacks/

MIL and I enjoyed a satisfying afternoon tea at The 1872 Clipper Tea Co. At this tea bar and boutique, customers can sample teas, purchase freshly brewed hot or iced drinks, and nibble on exquisite afternoon snacks.

The retail area displaying tea gifts and accessories.

Teas are showcased in a unique fashion-portholes! Patrons can sample and experience the flavors and freshness of teas here.

It’s time to sample the teas! Chilled teas are brewed using cold water for 30 minutes to draw out full aroma of the tea. Because cold water extracts fewer catechins and caffeine from tea leaves, the tea tastes sweet, smooth, and less bitter.

The teas we sampled were…

Blissful berries ($5, add $2 for strawberry sorbet): caffeine free mix of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Summer Passion fruit ($5, add $2 for mango sorbet): Refreshing blend of passion fruit and black tea. Love the tangy and fruity taste of the drink, which was not masked by the black tea.

Milky Wave: A twist on our local iced milk tea. Robust flavored beverage which can be served hot ($5) or cold ($5, add $2 for milk tea ice cream).

Healing Garden ($4): A soothing and relaxing infusion of ginger, lemongrass, liquorice and orange peel. This tea has a light herby taste, with a touch of citrus flavor and is good for sore throats. After drinking a cup of this, I can feel my body warming up, which is most likely caused by the ginger. My MIL and I agreed that we will be buying some of these to warm our bodies up when we vacation in Har er’bin later in the year.

I love passion fruit so it’s no surprised I chose Summer Passion fruit tea from 1872 Tropics range to enjoy with tea-inspired, handcrafted snacks.

Savour in a ship: a tasting platter of 3 tea snacks with a choice of hot drink ($12/set or $18 for 2 sets) Top up $1 to switch the hot drink to an iced beverage, or $2 for an iced drink with float .

Pastries are baked weekly to ensure freshness. Melt-in-your-mouth earl grey tea cookies ($5 for pack of 5) are soft, buttery and crumbly with a distinct earl grey aroma. Enjoy a spongy and moist alcohol fruit cake ($3.50/pc) with black tea, as alcohol goes well with the notes of black tea. Chew on crunchy chocolate coated almond flakes, nestled in a chocolate tea cup.

Mini choco cup comes in milk, white or dark chocolate and retails for $4/pc or $10 for 3 pieces.

MIL and I visited L’Espresso after our haircuts at Georgina’s which is also located within Goodwood Park. It was about 5pm; we just wanted to have a snack to fill our tummies a little before dinner. MIL was also craving for the Goodwood Park’s legendary durian mousse cake.

Upon arrival, we were promptly lead to comfy leather seats in the middle of the long lobby. Alfresco seating is also available at the breezy poolside terrace.

My Hot Chocolate ($8) came in a pretty pot with lovely pastel flowers. The drink itself however, was the worst hot chocolate I had till date. Diluted and bland, it tasted more like Milo. It’s shocking how such a pristine hotel can serve something of this standard.

Fortunately for MIL, her beautifully presented Cafe Vienna ($9) was decent.

In addition to our drinks, we also ordered cakes from The Deli. Red Velvet Cake ($6.80) was another let-down because it was too dry.

Durian mousse ($11) was superb. This is pure pleasure to any durian fan. Every bite was is filled with thick durian pulp and velvety mousse. Three thumbs up!

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/26/cafe-lespresso-and-the-deli/#more-6666

For pictures and full review, pls visit
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/22/symmetry/#more-6647

Bestie M was in town on Monday, and wanted to try Symmetry’s brunch which she has read so much about. I was tasked to make reservations and find out how to get there. Located at Jalan Kubor, Symmetry is quite easy to get to via public transport as its one bus-stop away from Bugis MRT station.

I received an automated phone call 1 hour prior to my reservation. Very organized indeed! On arrival, I realized why… the place is very small, seats are limited and it was packed, even though it was a weekday.

Café by day, restaurant bar at night, Symmetry’s offerings are inspired by both Australian casual dining culture and French cuisine. This indie joint has quirky décor as you can see from their Gothic Christmas display…

Inside, it’s cozy and relaxed, with quaint ornaments scattered around. Service was friendly, but the coffee didn’t arrive until the end of the meal because the staff forgot all about it.

Monday’s lunch menu is a simple one-pager, consisting of starters/snacks, mains and a dessert. We were glad there some egg dishes available as they were what we came for.

Beverage list is extensive though, consisting of several pages. M ordered a Latte ($5.50) which was good, but could have been better with more foam.

Piping hot Baby Squid with Black Pepper Aioli ($15) was irresistible. The crispy, light batter was well-seasoned, while the squid was springy. Do eat it while it’s hot because once it cools down, the batter loses it crispiness and becomes less appetizing. Squid ink was added to the black pepper aioli, which explains the color.

Truffle Parmesan Fries with White Truffle Oil Drizzle ($13). These fragrant shoestring fries are so tasty that you can eat them independently. Comes with mayonnaise if you like to enjoy your fries with dips.

Smoked Salmon Cabonara Spaghetti ($18) had a generous portion of homemade smoked salmon. A single poached egg completed the dish. Look at the egg, so round and silky, plus it was very wobbly before W decided to “burst” it. However, the smoked salmon was wayyyy too salty while the cabonara sauce was too bland. It could have been better if the flavors were balanced out a bit more evenly. Sadly, the pasta was overcooked which made us frown even more.

Fortunately, my Portobello and Cheese ($17) was enjoyable. A layer of cheese blankets a single poached egg, cushioned by a huge Portobello mushroom, followed by toast. Loved how the cheese and poached eggs complemented the aromatic, earthy Portobello mushrooms. Noticed I wrote eggS and mushroomS? Yes, you get 2 of these! It’s not very clear in my picture, but the other one is beneath the mesclun leaves.

M was disappointed with her Eggs and Bacon ($15) which the menu described as Truffle scrambled eggs, maple glazed bacon and toast. All of us struggled to detect truffle flavor in the eggs and sad to say it was non-existent. Bacon had excessive amounts of fat too

I was happy with the meal and wanted to stay for desserts. But M and W were so upset by their poorly executed mains, we adjourn to Lady M for desserts.