27 February, 2008

How would you like the "Doneness" of your steak to be?

After this post by ieatishootipost, where he mentioned in his comments "Kalos - I never said the steak was medium rare in the post. Actually I asked for somewhere in between Medium to Medium Rare. Too much rare on a thick steak like this and I feel like I was eating sashimi."

I felt strongly that he was wrong. My reply to him was "... any good piece of steak not done medium rare is a waste of natural juices to the meat, as this is the time the meat begins to release alot of "red juices". Also, I feel a medium rare steak have a "springy" feel to the firmness." -- He did not reply after that.

I stood for what I believe in - that steak are meant to be done medium rare at least. This especially after suffering two unfortunate incidents at Friends@Jelita & Aston Prime for overcooking my steak. Both were good Ribeye steaks but both were sad to consume as both came "well" in doneness.

I want to hear from you -- What are your views? How do you like your steak to be done? Leave me your comments and tell me what you think. A poll has also been started so feel free to click the answer that suits you best!


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25 February, 2008

Da Paolo's Pizza Bar - Italian Pizza At It's Best!

For me, there is nothing more Italian than a piping hot & thin crusty slice of pizza. At Da Paolo, you find a stylish Pizza Bar like no other – with its long strip of dappled brown and white cow hide running along the ceiling and down one wall, bronze panels, a wall of wine-bottles and a stylish glass kitchen – Da Paolo’s choice of location for the Pizza Bar was premeditated – the bohemian status of Chip Bee Gardens lends itself to the Pizza Bar’s concept of providing a friendly and inspired environment to dine and wine. The Pizza Bar pursues closely to Da Paolo trademark cooking that is using fresh ingredients to elicit the taste. Ingredients to make the pizza dough are sourced directly from Italy and toppings are made from fresh ingredients only.

For starters, we decided on the Insalata di Spinaci con Avocado, Gamberetti e Mango, or Baby Spinach with Avocado, Shrimps and Mango Salad. A refreshing salad that comes with generous ingredients, this is a fine starter that really rouse the appetite for the mains – the savoury prawns along with the sweet and sourish mango and rich avocado really open up our palates for the mains.

For the pizzas, we chose two tomato-based pizzas – the first being Pizza Salmone, Funghi e Pesto, or the Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Smoked Salmon, Mushrooms and Pesto. The Smoked Salmon was really fresh and full of flavour and we really liked the addition of the mushrooms – the chewy bite of the shrooms adds a new twist to this dish.

For the second – Pizza Rucola, Prosciutto e Scaglie di Parmigiano, or Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Arugula Leaves, Parma Ham and Shaved Parmesan, the mild bitterness of the Rocket Salad is a perfect harmony with the saltiness of the Parma Ham. It also helps that I am a huge fan of the Arugula with Parmesan.

The thin crusts of both pizzas are also well executed and are definitely one of the best I have eaten in Singapore. And if you think the both of us are ambitious, you might be surprised to know that we managed to clean out a starter and 2 large pizzas in an hour or so. Service was generally attentive and most staffs were friendly except for a particular staff in which we felt was pretty unprofessional in taking orders. He was standing approximately 2 metres away from me and took the orders without writing down – something, which my dining partner felt was pretty rude as well.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5 (One of the best pizzas in town)
Service: 4/5 (Generally attentive)
Ambience: 4.5/5 (
Chic and quiet)
Price: 4/5 (Reasonable for the quality you get)
Total: 17/20
44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-46, Chip Bee Gardens
Singapore 278116




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17 February, 2008

Friends @ Jelita

Having read a few rave reviews about Friends @ Jelita, and armed with their $50 voucher (for every $150 spend), I was looking forward to spend a wonderful evening with a few of my friends. A causal fine dining restaurant, the owner of Friends, Thomas Chiam decided to open a second outlet at Jelita, minutes away from Holland Village after the success of its first outlet at Serangoon Gardens. We were surprised to find the restaurant empty on a Thursday evening when we arrived. After ordering, we were served the complimentary bread, and unlike the dip I had @ Wild Rocket, this one comes with Balsamic Vinaigrette along with olive oil.

However, the food took surprisingly long to arrive considering that there were only 2 other tables that arrived after us. After 40 minutes, the starter of Pan-fried Corn Fed Duck Liver paired with Rhubarb & Apple Coulis finally arrived. The combination created a remarkable and appealing contrast in tang – the slightly sweet and sour sauce counterbalance the creamy well fried duck liver – giving this dish a invigorating twist. This was definitely the best dish for the evening.

The next dish that came along was the Timbale of Salmon Tartare, Guacamole and Caviar. I liked the fact that salmon was not too fine, giving the tartare a bite and the creamy taste of the guacamole also complements well, but somehow the salmon tasted fishy and my friends suspected it wasn’t fresh.

We waited a further more for the mains to arrived and I opted the Grilled 100 Days Grain-Fed Ribeye Steak served with Garlic Waffles, Sautéed Vegetables & Veal Jus. However, when I thought the “medium rare” Ribeye I had at Aston Prime was bad, this was absolutely ridiculous! I did my usual first cut at the side and it was done well – the second cut right in the middle of the steak followed and not a hint of pink was in sight. My right mind would have told me to return the steak back to the kitchen, but considering that we waited so long for the mains, I decided to stuff the piece of tough meat down my throat just to satisfy my hunger.

Dessert was Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake served with Ice Cream. Even though I was pretty appalled that the strawberries that came with the dessert was more yellow and white rather than red, the chocolate cake on the whole still looks delicious especially when it’s being halved, with the molten chocolate gushing and oozing out. Although the dessert is made fresh upon ordered, the chocolate that was used taste seemingly low grade, leaving a bad aftertaste at the end.

Overall, I was pretty disappointed with this place as I expected the food to be much better. Service wise wasn’t as fantastic, but the only aspect that won me over was the fact that it is a great place to gather for a small group of friends for a nice quiet dinner.

Rating

Food: 2.5/5 (The Foie Gras was good, but steak was extremely bad)
Service: 2/5 (Staff wasn't able to give recommendations for food)
Ambience: 4/5 (Nice quiet place to gather among friends)
Price: 2/5 (Not value for money)
Total: 10.5/20
293 Holland Road,
#02-04 Jelita Shopping Centre
Singapore 278628



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13 February, 2008

Snapshot of Marrakech, Hong Kong & Macau

Arriving @ Marrakesh Airport
The city is known as the "Red City" or "Al Hamra"
Every building
Every apartment
And hotel is red in colour!!!
Couscous, is a primary staple of Moroccans, consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat. It is then coated with finely ground wheat flour, and traditionally served under vegetables stew. Although the veggies were great, I find the couscous too exotic for me.
and what you are looking is the Whole Leg of Lamb!!! It basically occupied the whole dining table.
Xu Liu Shan, Hong Kong
that serves the best Mango and Pomelo dessert in the world!
and who can miss the Roast Pigeon? I had it for 3 days in a row. Pork Chop Bun, Macau. Found the bread a tad too hard though.
Lord Stow's Garden Cafe - a must visit in Macau.
Pumpkin Custard, an absolute delight!!! The custard is so flavoursome and so smooth. Try coupling it with the pumpkin flesh and you have the perfect combination! But nothing beats it's signature item - Portugese Egg Tart. The crispiness of the flaky pastry in contrast with the rich creamy filling along with the caramelised sugar at the top, a technique similar to Creme Brulee, is synonymous with Lord Stow's egg tart. Give this a miss and you will regret it for the rest of your life!


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06 February, 2008

Gong Hei Fatt Choy - Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy New Year


Thank you all for your support. Wishing all my readers a Prosperous Lunar New Year - HUAT AH!!!


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04 February, 2008

Jerry’s Barbeque & Grill - The All American Cowboy Restaurant

After opening their flagship stall in Jalan Kayu and the downtown outlet in Club Street comes their 3rd outlet located in Tanglin Shopping Centre.

To make the Tanglin outlet resemble a BBQ place in the South, many of the tables and chairs have been replaced with six-seat cosy booths. Although more famous for their Buffalo Wings, Baby Back Pork Ribs, and Prime Rib Cut Steaks, we opted for Fish & Chips as the main for the $10 set lunch and was greeted with a generous portion of Fillet accompanied by Potato Wedges and Coleslaw.

With a wrench of the lemon and a dip in the tartar sauce, this is one of the better Fish & Chips I have eaten – it was crispy on the outside yet not too oily. However, it seems that only the batter is seasoned but not the fish itself. Upon scrutiny, you will realise that the meat itself is pretty bland and tasteless. While we gave the more famous mains a missed, what you definitely should NOT miss is the Deep Fried Button Mushrooms as a starter to go with it.

Huge and fresh battered fried mushrooms delivered by Everbloom Mushrooms – dip them in the tartar sauce and you will realised that you had every urge to order another portion to satisfy those cravings. Every bite produces a bursting sensation from the supposedly butter giving you a truly orgasmic experience. Overall, Jerry’s Barbeque & Grill is a great diner to escape to for a few hours of great tasting All American food and beer. With a relax and cosy feel, Jerry’s is a nice respite from many downtown Singapore eateries.

Rating

Food: 4.5/5 (The Deep Fried Mushroom is a WINNER!)
Service: 4/5 (Friendly Staff)
Ambience: 4/5 (
American diner, quiet and cosy)
Price: 3.5/5 (Reasonable)
Total: 16/20
19 Tanglin Road
#01-01, Tanglin Shopping Centre
Singapore 247909 [CLOSED]


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