Pasta De Waraku: Clam in Spaghetti

Pasta De Waraku: Clam in Spaghetti

I visited Pasta de Waraku restaurant at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 recently. With a wide selection of spaghetti dishes, ordering my restaurant meal of spaghetti came down to the toppings or main ingredients that I fancied.

Somehow, the sound of Pasta De Waraku's Wafu Vongole (Clam in Spaghetti) appealed to me as it brought out images of a marine bivalve mollusk to mind. Some of you may know it better as 'see hum'.

How does this Clam in Spaghetti dish at Pasta de Waraku look like? Here's a picture of that dish that I ate.

How about the taste of Pasta De Waraku's Clam in Spaghetti?

I liked the dense-ness of the clams; firm but not to the point of being tough as rubber. Taste-wise, there was a lack of succulent sweetness that I was expecting.

The spaghetti of Pasta De Waraku Clam in Spaghetti dish was firm, sprinkled with a spicy sauce like chilli padi. The heat of this seasoning, however, was beyond my threshold of tolerance and enjoyment.

The dish came with a salad.

Recommendation:

Pasta De Waraku's Clam in Spaghetti (Wafu Vongole) = 6 out 10.

Ting Tai Fung Restaurant Beef Soup

Ting Tai Fung Restaurant Beef Soup

The sampling of Ting Tai Fung Restaurant's beef soup took place at Tampines Mall where some of you would be familiar with the famous xiao long pao.

 Photograph: Ting Tai Fung restaurant beef soup.

What I like best about dining at Ting Tai Fung Restaurant is their beef soup dish. This bowl of beef soup is filled with a clear broth that reveals large slices of beef.

I took a few bites of this Ting Tai Fung Restaurant beef soup and was pleasantly surprised by the soft, tender meat, that breaks down into more manageable sizes with each chewing action. The beef tasted sweet without the usual overpowering flavour of beef.

The liquid that bathed Ting Tai Fung Restaurant's beef soup was a delicious mix of sweetness and fragrance, with a tinge of spice. 

Recommendation for Ting Tai Fung Restaurant Beef Soup:
Score = 7.5 out of 10.

Say Cheeze Restaurant Tampines 1

Say Cheeze Restaurant Tampines 1

I ordered the Beef Tenderlion at Say Cheeze Restaurant, Tampines 1 as I was captivated by an eye-catching picture of their beef tenderlion dish outside their restaurant at Tampines 1. Although they appear to specialize in cheese, and related dishes, there was a full service dinner available.


My beef tenderlion at Say Cheeze Restaurant in Tampines 1 was presented with two side dishes. From a selection of their menu, I chose mashed potato and apricot rice. These side dishes were fairly adequate and ordinary in taste.

As usual, my beef tenderlion was cooked 'medium'. I loved the softness of the tender beef that oozed loads of beef juices. The outer layers were firm but not too hard. The sauce, slightly bland without the taste of salt, was of mysterious origin as it came in one standard selection and I didn't ask and couldn't tell what it was made of. Nonetheless, the texture of the beef tenderloin was near perfection and cooked exactly the way I liked.

I was surprised to find that Say Cheeze Restaurant at Tampines 1 served up one of the best beef tenderloins in restaurants around Pasir Ris and Tampines.

Score for Beef Tenderloin at Say Cheeze Restaurant Tampines 1:
Recommendation = 9 out of 10.

Price of Beef tenderloin at Say Cheeze Restaurant Tampines 1 = 24.90 before GST.

Superdog Hotdog

Superdog Hotdog

Image: Superdog Chilli Hotdog

I ate at the Whitesands Shopping Centre's new Superdog outlet recently. The Superdog restaurant looks like a fastfood restaurant with a long counter filled with cash registers. Although it was near closing time, there were several tables filled with patrons enjoying Superdog hotdogs.

The presentation of my Chilli Superdog hotdog looked like the American hotdog. The size of my Chili Superdog hotdog was about right for my stomach.

Upon my first bite of the Chili Superdog Hotdog, I liked the soft yet firm texture of the Superdog hotdog's beef frank. The chilli sauce wasn't that hot and spicy. I would describe it as a sweet kind of tomato sauce with a little dash of chilli. The bread was generally soft and good. As this Superdog hotdog was made fresh, the warmth was retained when the Superdog hotdog was delivered to my table.

I did not particularly like the raw tasting diced onions on my Superdog hotdog. Otherwise, a Superdog hotdog should serve well as a meal anytime of the day. For those with voluminous stomachs, one Superdog hotdog may not satisfy hunger.

Recommendation for Superdog hotdog:
Score = 7.5 out 10.

Sakura Buffet Restaurant

Sakura Buffet Restaurant

For something different, we had our family reunion meal at one of the branches of Sakura International Buffet Restaurant at NTUC Downtown East in Pasir Ris recently.

Sakura Buffet Restaurant serves halal international cuisines in a mouth-watering buffet spread. We were impressed by the wide range of dishes. Some dishes looked as good as it tasted, while most were adequately tasty.

The good thing about having a buffet meal at a halal certified restaurant is that it allows all members to eat what they prefer in an air-conditioned environment.

The selection of food at Sakura Buffet Restaurant ranges from Chinese-style wok-fried cooking, to Japanese food like sashimi & sushi, to Western-styled dishes like lamb chops and beef steaks. There is also a wide choice of dim sim dishes.

The Sakura's salad bar buffet spread was also generous in its range of edibles. There's also desserts like ice-creams, durian puffs and cakes that you'll find at hotel restaurants during high-teas.

To wash down all those goodies along your gullet, there's plenty to choose at Sakura Buffet restaurant in terms of drinks -sodas, soft drinks, cappucino, tea and many more.

My personal favourites were Sakura Buffet Restaurant's shark's fin soup, roast duck skin crepe, chicken satay, lamb chop, chocolate cake, raw salmon sashimi and prawn dumpling. Plus I could help myself to second and third helpings of my favourite dishes.

The branch of Sakura Buffet Restaurant at Downtown East does not give an image of a high class restaurant. It's cafeteria-like long tables and plastic chairs on non-carpeted floor gave away its Pasir Ris neighbouthood heartlander clientele. What it lacks in ambience is more than made up by the ample selection of free flow of all dishes to fill any plus-sized stomach to satisfaction. Guaranteed.

While not all dishes at Sakura Buffet Restaurant tasted exceptionally good, most tasted average or better. For the price of $22 for an adult and $10.90 for a child at their Weekend Lunch buffet, it is definitely value for money.

Lunch is served until 2.30pm only. So don't think of paying for one meal and hanging inside the restaurant till dinner time for a free second meal!

Address: Sakura Buffet Restaurant
NTUC Downtown East, Pasir Ris

Corn Muffin, Kenny Rogers

Photo: Corn Muffin from Kenny Roger's Restaurant

Corn Muffin Kenny Rogers

I must mention the corn muffin that I ate at Kenny Roger's Restaurant in East Coast Park recently.

My corn muffin came with my Quarter Chicken order. The yellow-coloured bun like pastry looked good and smelled even better. Corn and sweetness were evidently tasted when I took a small bite out of my corn muffin. The dough was slightly crumbly, fairly firm in texture and just a lit too dry to qualify as my dream muffin.

Overall, the sweetness and corn taste were genuine. There was no grittiness upon chewing this corn muffin, like I've experienced sometimes from inferior corn sources.

Recommendation:
Corn Muffin from Kenny Rogers Restaurant = 7 out of 10.

Avocado Milkshake, Nihon Mura

Avocado Milkshake, Nihon Mura

Thick and milky is the comment I get when I pass this glass of avocado milkshake (center, yellow in colour in photograph) around my family members.

We love this unusual drink as there are not many restaurants in Singapore that serve avocado in a milkshake drink.

The size of this avocado milkshade has been described as a "satisfying amount", as it comes in a concentrated formulation and fills up the tummy completely after trying other dishes at Nihon Mura.

This avocado milkshake is great for those who love something fruity and milky.

Recommendation:
Score for Avocado Milkshake at Nihon Mura = 9 out of 10.

Fried Fish Fillet at Manhattan Fish Market

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

The famous fried fish fillet in their Seafood Platter For Two was ordered at Manhattan Fish Market located in Plaza Singapura branch.

Their version of the fried fish fillet (of cod) had about the the same crispiness in the crust as other restaurants. What I like about their fried fish fillet is that it appears less oily and less salty compared to those I've tried.

The cod in their fried fish fillet as part of the Seafood platter for two had a firmness that I liked. The taste of fish did not overwhelm the entire dish yet allowed enough fragrance to seep out of its flesh.

It was no wonder that in their individual orders of fried fish fillet, you can choose one of three types of fish to taste, at different price ranges. I will be looking forward to taste test the other two more expensive types of fish.

Manhattan Fish Market Platter For Two:
Price $33.90

Manhattan Fish Market address:
Plaza Singapura at Orchard Road

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

Manhattan Fish Market Seafood Platter For Two

This Seafood Platter For Two was ordered at Manhattan Fish Market located in Plaza Singapura branch.

For two persons, the Manhattan Fish Market seafood platter for two it is really a huge platter dish. It comes with fried fish fillet, fries, garlic rice, calamari, oysters and prawns.

I especially like their yellow grained rice, as I am more of a "rice bin" person. The rice from their Platter for Two is coated with garlic sauce and tastes as rich as its colour.

Those with a palate for french fries can also enjoy their crispy fries as both rice and fries are served in the seeafood platter for two at Manhattan Fish Market.

The Platter For Two at Manhattan Fish Market has several tasty dishes that I shall talk about later.


Manhattan Fish Market Platter For Two:
Price $33.90

Manhattan Fish Market address:
Plaza Singapura at Orchard Road

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

Bacon Wrapped Enoki Mushroom

If you think all mushrooms look and taste the same, try these Enoki Mushrooms wrapped with bacon at Downtown East's Nihon Mura restaurant. Their Enoki mushrooms - those long white skinny ones that look like tau-gay (bean sprouts) - taste well with the juicy bacon strips.

At first glance, I wasn't really impressed with the bacon wrapped Enoki mushrooms. Specks of black (I think its the burnt bits that came off the pan) dotted the six pieces of bacon that hugged the enoki mushroom as if trying to strangle them all. To add insult, a satay stick was used to pierce the bacon and mushrooms!

One bite of the bacon wrapped enoki mushroom and my negative thoughts were banished. The initial taste came from the salty part of the bacon with each release of sweet juices as I chewed on the stuff. The enoki mushroom complemented the bacon with its fresh bland taste. At the same time, the springiness in the enoki mushroom was evident with a firm almost rubbery texture that went well with the firm bacon bits.

This chewable combination was a pleasant sensation, akin to chewing aromatic and high quality bubble gum. Best of all, the healthy mushroom took away the sinfulness of eating fatty bacon streaks.

I like my bacon firm yet chewy with a lard-like fragrance, which is not what many people can tolerate. This bacon wrapped enoki mushroom exceeded my expectations.

Recommendation:
Score for Bacon wrapped Enoki Mushroom = 7 out of 10. (could be higher score if the presentation improved, minus the specks)

Saffron-Laced Basmati Rice

Saffron-laced Basmati Rice

I am a "rice-bin" kind of person. When I eat out at restaurants, I often look for rice to complement my dishes. The yellow (saffron) laced Basmati Rice at Muthu's Curry in Suntec City was chosen as my staple recently.

Presentation-wise, I like the colour and wholeness of the yellow rice grains, without broken bits and bent grains. Spices that are added like the star-anise tend to interfere with chewing if I am not careful about separating them out before spooning into my mouth.

Their basmati rice comes in a slender-shaped grain, coated with North Indian spices. While the texture was firm, the grains tasted too mild for my liking. It would improve a lot if more spices had been used to coat the basmati rice grains.

On top of its mild flavour, the basmati rice was a tad too dry. Perhaps this might have contributed to its disappointing lack of taste.

You could use the gravy from the main dishes to improve the taste of the basmati rice. But then, I could have paid less for plain white-grained rice to do that in the first place.

Recommendation:
Score for Yellow Basmati Rice, Muthu's Curry = 6 out of 10.

Muthu's Curry Tandoori Chicken

Muthu's Curry Tandoori Chicken

This plate of Tandoori Chicken from Muthu's Curry at Suntec City branch is a wonderfully delicious North Indian dish. I was in Suntec City and had a chance to sample the Tandoori Chicken recently.

Their Tandoori Chicken appeared as a tantalising fiery red pieces of fowl, covered with streaks of burnt bits. Before my first bite, I suspected that it could be spicy. The initial suspicion was confirmed after taking a few tentative bites.

The piece of Tandoori Chicken that I ate felt soft to my palate. The chicken flesh gave way easily between my teeth, releasing its aromatic fragrance. The Tandoori Chicken marinate was a giddy mix of sweetness and spiciness.

As I have a low threshold for hot and spicy stuff, I needed gulps of ice water to wash away the hotness after devouring a large piece of Tandoori Chicken.

Recommendation:
Score for Muthu's Curry Tandoori Chicken = 8 out of 10. Would be higher if chilli concentration could be lowered.

Fried Shrimp, Tony Roma Suntec City

Picture: Tony Roma Fried Shrimp is next to the corn.

Fried Shrimp Tony Roma Suntec City

The fried Shrimp came as part of the Family Feast that was served at the Suntec City branch of Tony Roma.

I like seafood, especially prawns and shrimps. However the Tony Roma fried shrimp that's lightly breaded and fried to a golden brown crisp did not turn out as expected.

I have tasted fried shrimps that were more crunchy and tasty than Tony Roma's. The breaded coat was rather insipid and not crunchy. The shrimp felt a little too dry and tough to bite. I suggest using the cocktail sauce to enhance the flavour of the Fried Shrimp.

Recommendation:
Score for Tony Roma Fried Shrimp = 5.5 out of 10.

Side Dish: Tony Roma Corn

Side Dish: Tony Roma Corn

I love the corns that come as a side dish in Tony Roma's Family Feast.

The Tony Roma corns looked a healthy yellow. Unlike those sallow pieces that have been squeezed of moisture like some supermarket corns that often appear in tin cans that you add as a side dish at home.

The individual grains of corn offered a robust bite, with enough juice in this side dish to keep the mouth moist. The corn had intrinsic sweetness that was not due to added sugar. If you like to coat your corn with butter that comes with the Family Feast, the combination of butter and corn sweetness with thrill your tastebuds to no end.

Unfortunately, I could not get enough of the corn side dish as I had to share the portions with other family members who were also enthusiatic over it.

I surprised myself at my fondness for the corns, as I am usually considered to be a "rice bin" person. I'm glad I switch the side dish from rice to corn instead. If you have not tried these, do consider having a go at them.

Recommendation:

Overall score for Tony Roma corn as a side dish = 9 out of 10.

Tony Roma BBQ Chicken

Picture of Tony Roma Family Feast with BBQ Chicken (arrowed)

Tony Roma BBQ Chicken

I sampled the BBQ Chicken of Tony Roma's Family Feast. Earlier I've also talked about the St Louise-styled ribs.

Presentation-wise, the well tanned thick slabs of chicken looked tantalising. The dark BBQ stripes on the well-glazed chicken skin signaled to me that it was hot off the BBQ grill and appeared very appetising.

One small bite on the Tony Roma BBQ Chicken revealed its soft, juicy and fleshy meat. It's got that wholesome chicken flavour that makes the tongue lust for more. The secret BBQ sauce that Tony Roma used to cook their BBQ chicken tasted sweet and thrilled my tastebuds.

This is one of the better BBQ chicken that I've tasted, that doesn't come with a thick coat of batter. I prefer it this way was batter coating often adds an unnecessary layer that masks the chicken taste.

Recommendation:

Score for Tony Roma BBQ Chicken = 8.5 out of 10.

Beef Soup, Din Tai Fung

Beef Soup, Din Tai Fung

I sampled this beef soup at Din Tai Fung Restaurant at Tampines Mall tonight and discovered that it was one of the better beef soup that I have tasted so far.

Din Tai Fung's beef soup comes a a white porcelain bowl filled with a clear broth. The beef soup is really tasty, sweet, not too oily and does not have any overpowering beef aroma. I liked the beef soup as it doesn't come with any herbal ingredients to mess up the beef flavour.

There were about 5 thick slices of beef that were succulent, soft to bite and flavourful. The individual fibres of beef could be teased apart easily using my teeth without getting stuck between teeth. The beef flavour was intact and it gave a warm feeling as it glided down my throat smoothly.

Recommendation:
Overall score = 9 out of 10. Perfect score if more pieces of beef and larger sized soup bowl filled to the brim with tasty soup.

St Louis-Style Ribs

St Louis-Style Ribs

I liked the St Louis-Style ribs of Tony Roma, Suntec City restaurant. This was part of the Family Feast that I tried recently at Tony Roma.

Picture: Tony Roma's Family Feast with St Louis-style ribs featured.

The St. Louis-style ribs were finger-linkingly sweet. The meat on the rib has a consistent texture that releases the flavours with each chew. I was able to seperate the meat from the ribs with ease and wasted none of it as I licked it until rib-bone dry.

Pity that the St Louis-style ribs did not come with more pieces in the Family Feast. Perhaps next time, I might order the St Louis-style ribs only.

Family Feast, Tony Roma

Family Feast at Tony Roma

This huge plate of yummy goodies is known as the "Family Feast". I sampled the Family Feast at Tony Roma in Suntec City's dining restaurants.

Picture of Tony Roma's Family Feast.

The Family Feast comes with popular samplers from Tony Roma's menu that a family of three to five would be happy to feast with. Whether the Family Feast can satisfy hunger for such families really depend on the stomach capacities of individual family members.

I suggest you do not try the Family Feast on a first date, or with another small eater. You may end up gorging yourself silly on such a high calorie, high fat meal. You would also not want to waste any food on the Family Feast menu.

Try the Family Feast at Tony Roma if you can afford to bring family or a group of friends along to taste test it.

Price of Family Feast = $62 before GST

I will comment on the individual items on Family Feast meal later.

"Har Gao": Shrimp Dumpling

"Har Gao": Shrimp Dumpling

I took a bite of this Har Gao or Shrimp (Prawn) Dumpling dish at Xin Wang Cafe Restaurant in White Sands Shopping Centre.

The Har Gao (Shrimp Dumpling) came in threes inside a bamboo basket. First impression was that the Har Gao / Shrimp Dumpling looked rather small in size. One piece of the Shrimp Dumpling also had a tear on its rice flour skin.

One bite of the Har Gao made up for the average presentation. The texture of the prawn was firm to bite, with a springy chewy not mushy feel. The skin was a little too starchy for my liking. I appreciated the taste of the prawn dumpling, better than some other restaurant's Har Gao / Prawn Dumpling. The skin tasted rather flat, as does most other stall's Har Gao skin.

For the price of $2.50 for three pieces of Har Gao / Shrimp Dumpling, I considered it of moderate value.

Recommendation:

Score for Har Gao / Shrimp Dumpling = 6.5 out of 10.

Beef Hor Fun In A Western Restaurant

Picture of Beef hor fun taken with my low budget camera phone.

Beef Hor Fun In A Western Restaurant

I tried this Beef noodle / hor fun dish at a western restaurant next to Simei MRT. The western restaurant is called Eatzi Steakhouse and Bistro Restaurant, located inside East Point Shopping Centre. This is a certified halal restaurant that specializes in preparing affordable western dishes.

On this particular visit, I chose to eat their Beef noodle hor fun, as I had stuffed myself silly with fine cuts of cooked meat at several buffets in a row.

Presentation wise, their beef hor fun came in a silver wok-like metallic serving dish with chopsticks and a spoon. The flat noodles or kway teow was coated with a sweet brown soy-sauce-like layer. The hor fun texture was not as soft as the way I preferred. While some will like its fairly chewy bite, I found the noodles unremarkable.

The beef slices came in thick large chunks. Compared to the medium cooked beef done western style, some of these beef slices gave my jaws plenty of exercise. I would suggest they stir fried it more evenly and do it lighter, bordering on medium flame to preserve the softness and taste. I looked for condiments like cut green chilli in vinegar sauce but there was none to improve my appetite.

Nonetheless, because the portion of beef slices was fairly huge, I guess the beef hor fun noodle is priced high at $10 per dish. Yes, there’s cheaper beef hor fun to be had at the local kopitiam for $4 or less. But these usually come with thin, tiny slivers of beef that do not provide sufficient protein or pleasure. While some of you may snort at this price, let’s not forget that you are paying for the ambience and the service of an air-conditioned western restaurant.

Recommendation:Overall score for beef for fun = 6.5 out of 10.