Thursday 30 May 2013

Cafe Brio - International Buffet

Cafe Brio

Welcome to Cafe Brio!!!! I went to try out this dinner buffet restaurant at the last minute since my colleagues bring me along. This cafe is located at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, which is located near Zouk and Velvet underground - clubbers will know. The sitting area is quite big, they have both indoor and outdoor seats. I choose indoor as you know Singapore is so humid, it is not wise to sit outside. The waiters and waitresses are attentive, it is easy to seek their attention which impress me the most. As you may have experience, most of the time which i experienced is either the waiters are not enough or they are not attentive to their surrounding. For its spread, they have a nice selection from starters to dessert, from oysters to pastries, you will have a good time eating. 


Lets begin with starters, there is a wide selection of seafood to start with. Oysters, prawns and mussles are the most common starters. The prawns are so fresh that you will be able to peel off the shell completely without the meat sticking onto it. I use fork and knife instead of my hands, so you can think how fresh it is. Oysters and mussles are alright, you wont have the heavy iron taste in you mouth. The replenishment for these seafood are fast, you do not have to wait very long for them to be replenished. Cheese, my favorite, has limited selection. The available range are: Brie, fruit & nut, mozzarella cheese. There are crackers, nuts and resin to go along with the cheese. They goes well with wine!



You may like to try their soups too. They have " Lentil soup" and "Fish maw soup". Both are equally tasty and not watery. I personally think the fish maw soup is nicer compare to the Lentil soup. There are really alot ingredient in the fish maw soup. Eg, fish maw( of course) , baby corn, tofu.... For Lentil soup, the appearance look bland or brownish in colour but it actually taste amazingly good. Try eating it with bread, they simply taste wonderful.



If the above starters are not enough for you, there are other dishes for you to try. Salmon and tuna sashimi are available at the Sashimi bar for order, the chef will prepare them on the spot for you. Salad counter are there too. But who eat salad right?? Hahaha




Other dishes include lobster bites on the spoon, grilled tuna, beetroots and mixed mushroom.






For the main selections, they have quite a few ranging from Indian food to chinese selection and to western. Indian food consist of tomato rice, assam fish, chicken tandoori and curry; while for chinese dishes, you will be able to see pork knuckles, sambal  kangkong, kung pao chicken and steam fish. They are serve in the traditional cooking pot with wooden lids which make me feel like i am on the 80s.


You may also want to try their salmon wellington. usually the wellington tend to be overcooked or the salmon  taste dry. The fish is tender and with its crispy surface, they taste wonderful. Sides include fried potatoes, ratatouille, lamb bites and prawns.  




There are a wide range of dessert for you to choose. Ice cream ( not feature in cause I did not try it) , malay kuehs, cakes and pastries are available for selection. Must try their yam paste, really yummy. Their Rose syrup with aloe vera goes well together. I really like it alot. It is refreshing after eating so many rounds of food. They also have creme burlee which is yummily soft and smooth. Pity that there are no melted caramel to give a crunchy feel.








Current promotion are OUB credit card holders enjoy 4 dine for the price of 3  or OCBC card holders enjoy 20% off total bill, ( applicable to drinks and alcohol).

Overall per person spend about $40++ after the discount.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

  • Taste(3)
  • Environment(4)
  • Service(3)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(3)


  • The food does not give me a wow factor except for its freshness. i do not mind coming back for a 2nd time provided there are discount promotion going on.


Sunday 26 May 2013

Eng Seng Restaurant - Seafood (Famous Black Pepper Crab)

Eng Seng Restaurant

I am introducing this restaurant in the coffee shop although i do heard that the review on their service was very bad. The food is nice especially for the crab. Don't waste your time on other seafood restaurants because they are selling very commercialize seafood. The service provided by this restaurant is very basic. They open at 4.30pm till around 9pm. It is recommended that you go there for dinner early because this is exactly what i do to prevent overcrowding and long waiting time.


Here is what i had ordered, Mee Goreng. For the benefit of those who do not know this dish, it is a malay fried noodle with chili sauce. This is really a must try dish. The noodles taste yummy. The noodles is moist and it is not very spicy, suitable to those who afraid spicy stuffs. The ingredients include seafood like  prawns, and some tomatoes and vegetables. This dish cost $8 for medium size. Other dishes which i had ordered include stir fry Nai Bai and salad "You tiao". Each dish cost $8 too for medium size.


Mee Goreng


Nai Bai (vegetables)


salad "You Tiao" aka Yu Char Kway



Now our main cast, Black Pepper Crab!!!! This dish is really super good. Do not look down on those black sauce, it is exactly that very sauce that make this dish tastes so good. The black sauce is abit sweet and it is  mixed with black pepper to give both peppery and yet sweet mixture of taste. It is so tasty that i keep dipping the meat into the sauce to taste how good the combination is. The crabs are also cook to the right moment, the meat is tender and fresh. You will not find the meat being stick to the shell which some of the major seafood restaurant serve. The meat can be easily pull out from the shell. The owner also specially hire 1-2 workers just to smash the shell so that the customers can enjoy eating this dish without the hassle to keep cracking the shell themselves. The crab cost $50 per 1kg. This dish cost me around $38.




Verdict: 4.5 / 5

  • Taste(5)
  • Environment(5)
  • Service(4)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(4)



This is my preferred place for Black pepper crab. Highly Recommended for those that like Black Pepper crabs.




Saturday 25 May 2013

Wimblylu review - Cafe , Desserts

Wimblylu

After eating so many stores in singapore, i decided to write my eating journey and will like to share them with the rest of the world. The food that I decided to post may not be likable to some but at least you will know how is the food. Whether you can try it or miss it is entirely up to you. I welcome opinions and suggestions for places which you think the food is nice and should give it a try.


For a start, I will introduce this dessert place -  Wimblylu 

When you step in to the shop, you will see that it is packed with people, especially during weekends. Queuing for seats will take sometime, less than 10mins if you are lucky. The place is quite small. So if you have large group of friends going with you, be prepare to wait as they only have a big table to accommodate large group.



The tables are interesting label not with numbers but alphabets. If you are queuing near the cashier, you might overheard the chef/barista interesting conversation to the staff when the food is ready. Coffee and teas are available for selections, but do not expect something interesting. Try looking at the alcohol drinks if you are looking for different and yet cheap alternatives.



Cappuccino



Earl Grey Tea


For desserts, they have some special ones which is a must try. First of all, you must order their Rootbeer cake. The cake is moist and not chunky, with their special sauce, the cake taste fabulously good with the rootbeer flavor. The cake comes with vanilla ice cream, so you will not feel overwhelm by the rootbeer. They also have molten lava cake which look nice, i didnt order that since I had already order rootbeer cake.


Rootbeer Cake 


Next is the chocolate Creme Brulee. The top layer consist of chocolate and a layer of melted sugar to give the creme brulee the crunchy feeling. Beneath the sugary top, you have eggy content which is mixed quite well when combine together, not very sweet.


                                                                 Choco Creme Brulee


Other desserts which you maybe interested: Lemon Meringue Pie. This dessert is surprising good and refreshing. The lemon taste is just nice and the meringue is fluffy. The pie crust is not overly hard but crispy, good proportion of curd and meringue. It is only available during weekend so if you do not want to be disappointed, go during weekend!!




Scones 



Lemon Meringue Pie


Salted Caramel Ice Cream Waffle 

Waffle is soft and spongy, outer layer is crispy. You have a variety of Ice Cream selection to choose from, so does with the type of syrup you wish to add. A must try dish. 





Verdict: 4/5

  • Taste(4)
  • Environment(5)
  • Service(4)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(4)




Each dessert cost less than $10, so i dun mind coming back again.