Upon a friend's recommendation, a group of 8 of us decided to head there for dinner to give it a try.
We were apprehensive at first because of its location. Being situated at Biopolis, surrounded by many office buildings, the place seemed rather far off and quiet in the evening.

Fortunately, when we stepped into the restaurant, we were comforted by the number of tables being occupied by westerners accompanied by Indian locals.

We knew there had to be something good about this place!

We ordered twenty garlic and butter naans (about $3+ each) and a variety of other gravies and curries. Being an entire table of chinese, we weren't certain of what the different South and North Indian dishes were, so we picked according to our gut senses, hoping they would be good.

To our amazement, they weren't just good, they were very good.

The naan was well-flavoured and very soft. Loved the texture and taste of it.

The Palak Paneer ($10.00), which is actually finely pureed spinach, topped with cubes of homemade cottage cheese, is now a favourite of mine. Very flavorful and authentic.

Other dishes we ordered include the Palak Kofta Curry ($10), Kaju Mattar Khumb Curry ($10.90), Kadhai Mushroom ($10.90).

Last Friday was my very first time stepping into Riverwalk Tandoor. I've walked past the restaurant countless times before and have in fact, seen promotions a couple of times on daily deal sites.

However, it was only with my dad's birthday that I considered trying out this place. After all, I've read good reviews about it and it's pretty affordable for a buffet as well.

So we called them and made a reservation at 7pm for dinner.

When we arrived, the place was still relatively empty, with maybe just 4-5 occupied tables.

The service staff there were very friendly and welcoming, making it an overall very pleasant dining experience. They were quick to refill our water glasses, quick to clear our plates and very responsive.

To our amazement, the crowd started pouring in at around 8pm and there was a mix of caucasian tourists, indian tourists and locals. Not what we would expect of a typical Indian restaurant like that in Little India.

The food was superb! The curries and gravies were so fragrant from the spices, and the meats were well-marinated and tender. The spread was no doubt a gourmand's dream come true.
So much so, we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the restaurant was started by a Indian national. It was indeed a cultural experience for us - the food, the decor, everything was authentic.

Would I return? Definitely.

We arrived at 6.10pm but they didn’t let us in cos it wasn’t 6pm on their clock yet -_-

About 10 minutes later, the service staff standing at the reception of the restaurant told us we could go in. Having a large group of 12 of us altogether, it took us some time trying to gather everyone. What surprised me was when she rudely barked at the few of us standing nearby saying, “are you all going up? If not, i cannot let other people in (pointing to a couple standing in front of her).”
I don’t know if my friends sensed her tone, but it did bother me for that few minutes after. However, I managed to close one eye to it. A great night awaited and I wasn’t going to let the poor service ruin my night.

We took an escalator to the second floor of the restaurant where the dining are was. We were all in awe of the restaurant, which looked really spacious and minimalist. The buffet spread was varied, consisting of cold appetisers, sashimi, sushi, finger food, pasta, macaroni & cheese, pizza, soup, oysters, chili crabs, shrimp, etc.

The food was generally well prepared. But of course, it isn't comparable to what you'll get at let's say a hotel or fine dining restaurant.

Everything was overall well-marinated and very tasty. Food was enjoyable, but sadly, I cant say the same about their service.

They were slow to respond and forgot to serve my coffee twice.

I would say it was a nice experience, but I don't think I'll be going back there again. When I pay that price, I would hope to get see service of at least a certain standard.

Two saturdays ago, me, together with a group of friends met up in town. I, being the only girl with a whole group of 7 guys, we were automatically repelled from the overwhelming human traffic.

We spent a while deciding where to settle and finally leaned towards a place recommended by one of his friends.

He took us to the uppermost floor in ION Orchard, where this Chinese restaurant called Paradise Dynasty was quietly sandwiched between other bigger retailers.

But don’t be fooled. There were hoards of customers patiently awaiting their turn to be seated. A long waiting line and no one complaining? I knew in an instant that this place was going to be something.

Twenty minutes flew by in the company of good friends and before we knew it, there we were, seated and staring at the menu, spoilt for choice and undecided on what to eat.

We ordered different types of La mien dishes, wanton soup, the traditional xiao long baos and the highlight of our meal - the signature Paradise Dynasty xiao long bao.

A crate decked with 8 colorful Xiao Long Baos is definitely not a usual sight. The ones we commonly see are the plain and boring white-flour skin ones at Chinese restaurants like Din Tai Fung and Crystal Jade.

Paradise Dynasty takes it up not one, not two, but eight notches to bring us eight colorful shades of dumplings – each with its very own uniquely special flavor.

In each crate, you will get eight first-of-its-kind xiao long baos like the original meat-filled dumpling, ginseng, foie gras, black truffle, crab roe, cheese, garlic & szechuan.

At first bite, they were quite a culture shock to our tastebuds. They were so unlike the usual yet so deliciously good.

I would strongly recommend Paradise Dynasty.
Not only does the dining atmosphere feel really posh, the food there is top of the game. And surprisingly, prices are quite affordable.

Whether you like it or not…

I’LL BE BACK!

My grandma celebrated her 78th birthday this year.
As a family, we went to the River Palace Restaurant, located in River View Hotel, to mark yet another year of her life.

We went for the Chinese Ala Carte buffet dinner, which costs around $39++ per person.
Any buffet fanatic like me would know that this is considered extremely reasonable for today’s buffet standards.

The food was lip-smackingly good and I warn you…
don’t look at the pictures if you’re hungry.

All the dishes below are what we ordered:

Braised Sea Cucumber with Lingzhi Mushrooms & Broccoli
Poached Prawns in Chinese Wine
Sliced Duck with Crispy Beancurd Skin Wrapped in Egg Pancake
Sauteed Scallop with Asparagus & Pine Nuts
Stir-Fried Squid with Leek in X.O Sauce
Deep Fried Chinese Crullers Stufed with Cuttlefish Paste (ordered 3 small plates)
Marinated Jellyfish Served in Plum Sauce
Salmon Sashimi (we ordered 3 plates)
Deep Fried Shrimp Paste Chicken
Deep Fried Marble Goby “Hong Kong Style”
Steamed Crab with Egg White & Rice Wine (ordered 2 big plates)
Hot & Sour Sichuan Soup
Braised Pig Trotter
“Pi Pa” Duck
Chili Crab (ordered 4 plates)
Steamed Sea Bass with Plum & Tomato
Stir Fried Mussels in Fragrant Sauce

There was free flow of chinese tea going at $3.80++ per pax. Seems like they're using that to make a profit. The menu read as $3.80 per serving, which we though to be per teapot. Instead, it was charged as per person. -_-

Anyway, we moved on to the dessert table. There were hot chinese desserts like yam paste & red bean soup, and cold desserts like jelly, chocolate cake with chocolate creamed layers & fudged top, fruit cocktail, fresh fruits, etc.

And after the dessert, we were stuffed and could barely move. Haha. It was a great dinner. Wonderful in fact. If you’d like to see a sample of their ala carte menu, just leave me a comment at my blog (http://kissaddict.wordpress.com) and i’ll have them sent to your email. It’s too much to be posted up here.

Will be visiting with my boyfriend some other time! Can’t wait!