A couple of months back, I did a review on the Jurong East outlet of Astons Express, one of the coffeeshop franchisees of the Astons company and, while I’ve been back there a couple more times (with each one being as good as the previous), I still have not had the chance to visit the more expensive, restaurant-styled Astons outlets that I had heard so much about.
I finally got my chance a few days back when, at a gathering for a friend who recently came back from overseas, my friends and I headed to Suntec City and, on a whim, decided to try out the Astons Specialties branch there. Boy, was I glad I went. To put it simply, the food we had there was good, economically priced and served in generous portions.
Astons Specialties is a cosy restaurant with warm, inviting Western-styled decor located at the basement of Suntec City (where, if memory serves me right, a Chinese soup restaurant used to be). The first thing one would notice upon perusing the menu would be the low prices for the main courses, placed way below the usual restaurant range. The prices vary from below $10 for several favourites (like the chicken chops) to slightly above for the steaks and more premium dishes, which is only a tad pricier than the coffeeshop counterparts.
Similarly, the quality of the food, too, was slightly above the coffeeshop versions (which were, as mentioned, already of decent standard) and easily better many mid-range chains like Swensons and Cafe Cartel.
I had a sirloin steak (apparently one of their titular “Specialties”) with pasta salad and coleslaw as my sides. Unlike many restaurants which usually foul up a medium-rare order, the steak served at Astons came in just the right proportion, with enough chewy tenderness and redness to satisfy the carnivore in me without being so raw that I feel like I just slaughtered the cow and bit into it straight. While it might not have the textural oomph that Jack’s Place steaks (and presumably other more expensive restaurants) offer but, for its price (a mere $11.90), tasty dressing and generous serving size, I was more than satisfied with what I was given.
The pasta salad and coleslaw were also generously served and both were done great, with the pasta springy and solid and the coleslaw cold and crunchy.
Both my friends who went with me ordered different chicken dishes, all of which were done well. The chicken slices were thick and, again, large and were just the right texture for a good bite. The sauces and dressings provided good complements without overwhelming the overall taste and the sides were adequately tasty and filling.
Like I mentioned, the prices at Astons Specialties are, reasonably, priced slightly higher than the coffeeshop Astons Express line (and even then, they’re not much higher and are still lower than other similar competitors) and, considering the quality of the food, definitely a bang for the buck. A must go, for all fans of Western food.
Movies with all-star casts have generally been box-office darlings, if not critical hits, often drawing in obscene amounts of ticket sales based on star power alone. Some, like the Ocean’s Eleven series (starring just about every multi-million costing A-lister in Hollywood) and Love Actually (which features a veritable who’s who of the British rom-com, or romantic comedy, industry) have even garnered loyal fan followings, even with middling reviews.
While its box-office appeal remains to be seen, Grown Ups, Adam Sandler’s latest vehicle with some of the biggest names in American comedy, probably won’t be pulling in the same cult status as those mentioned above.
Grown Ups tells the story of five friends who used to play on a competition-winning basketball team in high school. After the death of their high school basketball coach, the five (with their families) gather for his funeral, as well as a Fourth of July holiday weekend out at the countryside.
The plot, while cliche, sounds like it might lead to some sort of hi-jinked hilarity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t because nothing actually really happens in the show. The show is segmented into bite-sized subplots (if you could even call them that) revolving around the five guys and their families but there is no central plot that ties the show together. The subplots (mostly revolving around learning to give time to family and/or learning to live with each other) are unexciting and don’t have much real development, with most of them wrapped up within minutes.
Perhaps because of the many-subplots-but-no-real-plot format, the pacing of the show is decent, with something different happening every so often. Even then, though, there is a distinct lack of cohesion or the feeling that the show is building up to any sort of exciting climax and, while the show has two climatic scenes near the end, strangely, one (concerning confessions of family members’ secrets to each other) feels shoe-horned in and the other (a basketball rematch between the guys and their high school rivals) is resolved in about three minutes.
The scripting is similarly mediocre. Despite (or perhaps due to) the fact that there are five main characters (and a whole bevy of supporting ones), the guys are interchangeable and forgettable and the dialogue is laboured, with an incredible amount of insults being tossed around between the guys, most of which falls terribly fat. The humour is mostly of the physical slapstick variety and might raise a giggle from younger audiences but nothing more. Still, there are a few moments that elicited a laugh from me, a car engine fixing scene being the only one that I can remember after the show finished.
While the show features a whole list of heavyweights (Sandler as a rich Hollywood agent, with Salma Hayek as his uptight, fashion designer wife; Kevin James as a wise-cracking store owner; a manorexic-looking Chris Rock as a househusband; David Spade as a womaniser who can’t grow up; and Rob Schneider as a dramatic, emotional hippie), pun intended, the actors don’t seem to share much on-screen chemistry and it could actually be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
Overall, Grown Ups is a movie that feels like the writers came up with a premise and threw every possible idea into production without bothering about plot development or even tying them together much. The movie isn’t anywhere near as good as one would hope, looking at the cast roster, and is in fact a far cry from some of Sandler’s comedy gems. Only for the desperately bored.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Grown Ups
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek
Director: Dennis Dugan
Writer: Adam Sandler & Fred Wolf
Release in Singapore: 26th August 2010
Runtime: 102 minutes
Whenever someone mentions National Day, most Singaporeans would think about (other than it’s a holiday) the lavish Parade or the NDP songs (the latest of which, Song for Singapore by Corrinne May, is lovely but doesn’t seem appropriate for singing along to, during a parade).
There are also other ways to commemorate the country’s birthday, one of which is to reminisce about National Service, strange as that sounds.
From what I’ve heard from most guys who have ORDed (and from personal experience), National Service is not something most men would want to repeat but the two years themselves (especially the BMT period in the first few months) are often remembered with a slight tinge of nostalgia.
Watching this video above (which is part of a series produced by NSTV to showcase the lives of a couple of BMT recruits), I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered some of the more outstanding memories from my own time in Tekong. Of course, it also helps that the recruits featured belong to the same company that I was in and that the OC is the same one as the one I had.
I didn’t get a gold timing for 2.4km on my very first try (or any subsequent tries) nor did I manage a single pull-up during that first test and some parts of the company look different now (double-decker bunk beds? Non-existent in my time) but seeing what the recruits are going through and in a familiar environment that I’ve been in myself does jog my memory on a time that didn’t seem like it would ever end when I was going through it but which I now look back fondly on.
So, for all you NS men out there (and also those juniors awaiting enlistment), why not take a look at the videos? After all, what better way to foster that patriotic spirit than to revisit the time you spent in service to the nation?
Although I love Japanese food, I’ve never been a big fan of its neighbour, Korean cuisine, which is all the rage right now (together with everything else Korean).
I’ve just never found the Korean cooking styles, mix of ingredients or just final overall taste appealing. Still, once in a while I would be dragged by friends to a Korean outlet where I actually enjoyed the meals. Seoul Yummy was one of them.
Seoul Yummy is located on the third floor of Square 2, Novena (a floor which I was told, is referred to as “Little Seoul”) and, although the total lack of any customers when I first arrived with my friends was a little unsettling (the traffic did pick up somewhat by the end of our meal), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food.
The outlet offers several set menus that come with an impressive range of choices and customisability. All my friends and I went for the S$16.99++ individual set meal that comes with a free flow of appetisers, a main course, a side dish, a roasted barley drink (which tasted decidedly odd) as well as 20% discount on their range of ice-cream desserts.
The appetisers were so good that they deserve a paragraph here by themselves. The range we were offered had six different small dishes - kimchi, anchovies, tofu, pickles, nuts and potato salad. While none of us were particularly fond of kimchi (which is ironic, considering that is the emblem of Korean cuisine), the other five were tantalising, addictive, full of taste and punch and, true to their name, appetising.
I had the fried saba fish with rice set (which is about all I eat at Korean restaurants, apparently) and it was fantastic. The fish were fried just right, without being overly oily or having too strong of a fishy taste. The meat was tender, the skin crisp and I devoured the entire thing to its bones.
My side dish was the potato pancake which, again, was fantastic. The texture was solid without being too starchy, floury or doughy and, although I scrapped off the chilli slices adorning the pancake, the taste was still strong and delicious.
Another friend had the bibimbab, which was a well-proportioned mix of ingredients that blended well together, did not overwhelm each other and had a strong gastronomical oomph after mixing it together.
The curry chicken rice and side dish of baked sauce crispy chicken, while tasting exactly like their Japanese counterparts, were decent, if not overwhelmingly fantastic. Like I mentioned, though, the roasted barley drink (both in the hot and cold incarnations) were a bit of a misfire, with nary a hint of barley at all (although it did taste roasted).
In the end, my friends and I decided to head somewhere else for dessert and thus I didn’t get to cash in on that 20% given by the set meal but even then, what I had eaten at Seoul Yummy was—so yummy.
My friends and I were in the West Coast area and, having not met up much during our summer break from university, we decided to eschew our original choice of the large hawker centre at West Coast Central for something a bit pricier, choosing to try out MOF@My Izakaya at West Coast Plaza instead.
We should have just stuck to the hawker centre instead.
Apparently the pricier, supposedly classier dining branch of the MoF line (the franchise of desserts and Japanese food outlets popping up at several shopping malls across the island), My Izakaya serves Japanese and Korean dishes, as well as the entire line of desserts the chain is known for.
I had the salmon bibimbab (Korean mixed rice), which had a huge “Chef’s Recommendation” sticker on the menu. If that was the best the chef had to offer, the outlet must be sad indeed. Firstly, the bibimbab (which is usually a whole melting pot of ingredients) was scarce on the actual number of ingredients, with only a few slices of salmon sashimi and a miserable serving of egg and some lettuce. The rice, after being mixed, was totally tasteless (save for a slight hint of burnt grains) and coarse. The salmon was equally tasteless and was in fact so nondescript that I would not have noticed I was eating it had I not specifically looked out for it in every scoop.
A friend had the beef bibimbab (another recommendation) and the prognosis was equally bleak (and tasteless). When our dishes had both arrived, we had likened the steaming bowls to those offered by Pepper Lunch but, having finished the bibimbabs, were forced to concur that the latter was way better (even if I’m not all that big a fan of Pepper Lunch in the first place).
My other friend had a salmon bento set which proved to be the best meal of the bunch, although that’s not saying much. The overall product was more edible than the bibimbabs, although my friend commented on the coarseness of the rice and the mediocrity of the salmon quality. In a direct contrast to the bibimbab rice though, the bento set’s rice was filled with too much vinegar and was too overwhelming.
Overall, while the service at the outlet was decent (although the seat we were allocated was strangely stuffy), the food was so bad that the entire dining experience left a bad aftertaste in our mouths. I would definitely recommend staying away from MoF My Izakaya for those visiting West Coast Plaza, especially considering the variety of good restaurants in the mall.
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
MOF@My Izakaya
Address: 154 West Coast Road
West Coast Plaza
#01-48
Singapore 127371
I have to be honest: I’ve heard unending proclamations from friends about how the Arab Street area is a cornucopia of great eats, interesting buys and an “Indie cool” feel but I’ve never actually been to the region, my prior experience to Bugis limited to Bugis Junction, Bugis Village and the National Library. Thus, when a friend suggested eating at a restaurant of certain repute on Bali Lane serving Middle-Eastern cuisine, I leapt at the chance to soak up the “oriental” vibe.
Alas, while my dining experience at Nabins was perfunctory, it was nowhere near as stellar as I had hoped.
The first thing that strikes one about the outlet (other than the rows of Shisha apparatus adorning a side of the upper floor) is the cosy interior. The soft lighting and layer of throw cushions and mattresses, embroidered Middle Eastern style, lining the floor (the restaurant has no chairs, per se, and the tables are all low coffee tables), together with the fact that all customers have to remove their footwear before proceeding into the dining area, lends a relaxed, comfortable air to the ambience. The dim lights, however, make for arduous photo-taking sessions and the decor, while “authentic” looking, have a distinct unwashed feel to them (plus, there were several insect carcasses trapped in the lights!).
The food was decent, with an equal number of hits and misses (although admittedly the “misses” weren’t all that bad either and could just be chalked to an unfamiliarity with foreign cuisine).
My friends and I shared two huge platters - a plate of their best appetisers as well as a roasted chicken dish.
The appetiser dish comprised Mushroom Olivia, Bitingan Mali (which is apparently some sort of fried eggplant with minced meat and rice dish), Kofta Kebabs (which I understand contain ground meat) as well as drumlets and fish bites. The mushrooms were salty and tasty despite being a tad dry (and sometimes harboured a hint of burnt taste) and the Mali was flavourful and packed with all sorts of herbs and spices that left a long-lingering aftertaste. The drumlets and fish bites, however, tasted like cheap Western fare while the kebabs were dry and hard to swallow, with a bland forgettable taste.
The roasted chicken was better overall. The chicken meat was unbelievably tender (without being overly crumbly), and the gravy was fantastically herbal and elevated the hard rice to a great staple side. Beware, though, that the gravy had a strong lamb taste and is not advisable for those adverse to strong meat tastes.
To top off the shared dishes, we also had two dessert dishes, one of which proved to be the best part of the meal. The umali, a bread pudding specialty, was absolutely divine, with an incredibly sweet and rich milk and almond taste that was amazingly strong off the bat but somehow did not leave too cloying or sticky and aftertaste.
For washing down the meal, I ordered a red apple granitas, a blend of grated ice, fruit juice and sugar syrup. The drink was refreshing and sweet (without tasting too artificial) but it had a decidedly cheap taste that likened it to a concoction one can get from a fancier bubbletea stall.
Just like the granitas, most of the food at Nabins was a good but not great. At about S$23 per person for the above mentioned menu (which was really filling), the outlet is a decent choice for those looking for a chill-out place but I’m sure there are other better choices around the area.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Nabins
Address: 27 Bali Lane Singapore
Tel: +65 6299 3267
Opening Hours
Weekdays: 10am – 11pm
Weekends: 10am – 5am
I’ve been hearing from friends for ages that Sunset Way, a little enclave of eating outlets (amongst other shops) at the Clementi area, is a treasure trove of good, albeit slightly pricier, food. Thus, having recently moved to West Coast (not that my previous residence at Bukit Gombak was all that far away, though), I decided to celebrate the move with some friends.
Of course, we had to choose a particularly busy time to head down (dinner time on a Sunday night) so we more or less had to settle for the place that had the most seats, Yum Yum Thai, a Thai a la carte buffet restaurant. While the fact that the outlet had space to spare on such a busy evening lowered my expectations somewhat, I have to say that the overall dining experience was not actually all that bad, if not spectacular.
The all-you-can-eat menu boasts over 40 different dishes to choose from ranging from Thai salads to curry dishes to spring rolls to the ubiquitous Tom Yam soup. While none of the dishes were really spectacular or Michelin star worthy, or even particularly authentically Thai (in fact, several of the meat dishes had a distinctly Chinese taste), they were of decent standard.
The mango salad was zesty and packed several strong flavours into a refreshing, crunchy combination (the pomelo salad, though interesting on paper, proved to have an odd taste, clashing taste that proved a bit too...different for my delicate palate). The Phad Thai (misspelt as such in the menu), a stir-fried rice noodle dish, was delicious and had just the right texture and the Green curry was strong without being overwhelming. The Tom Yam soup, while just perfunctory compared to ones from other famous Thai restaurants, complemented the rest of the dishes perfectly, with its perfect blend of sourness and spiciness.
By far my favourite dish of the night, though, was the Thai fish cake. Made from fish patties littered with different herbs and spices, the fish cakes were springy and bouncy (without being rubbery) and had a fragrant, lilting aftertaste, a combination so drool-worthy that I ordered the dish no less than three times.
At $18++ for a weekend dinner, I thought the buffet provided a decent bang-for-the-buck (especially since it’s just about the more affordable place in the entire stretch of eating outlets at Sunset Way) and, while not fantastic, was definitely decent.
Located at the basement of Suntec City near the fountain, the inappropriately named Ya Zhou (Asia) Cafe, which serves only Korean food, has a nondescript, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance and tacky, food-court-style furnishings. The eating experience, while slightly better than the decor, wasn’t much to write home about neither.
To be fair, the food itself was decent on the trip I made there.
I had the hotplate saba set, a $9.50 combination of a hotplate saba dish, six pieces of guo tie (fried dumplings) and a cup of lime juice. The fish was nicely fried, with just the right texture and without any fishy aftertaste. The guo tie, too, was similarly well-fried, crunchy without being overly oily. The lime juice, while refreshing, was a tad on the sweet side.
A friend tried the kimchi saba fish soup set, a $10 meal that came with steamed dumplings (the sides can be chosen from an entire list) and another glass of lime juice. Unlike the hotplate saba, the saba fish soup was tasty but very fishy and proved too much to take after a while.
Another friend had the chicken bibimbap (Korean mixed rice) and the same guo tie and lime juice side combination. The bibimbap was packed full of flavour and spices. There was a good mix of ingredients and the overall product was filling and satisfactory.
Marring the food, though, was the horrendous service. Not only were the service staff unfriendly and rude, the particular staff serving us was moody and in an obvious fit about something or other and our change for the bill was practically thrown at us.
While Ya Zhou Cafe’s prices are decent and you get what you pay for (food slightly better than at the Korean stalls in food courts at prices slightly above those in food courts) but the terrible service knocks the overall rating down several notches.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Ya Zhou Cafe
3 Temasek Boulevard #B1-058A Suntec City Mall Singapore
Tel: +65 6333 5183
Eons ago, I mentioned about the little gem that is Safra Jurong West, located near the old Boon Lay Bus Interchange and Jurong Point MRT. Other than housing one of the newest and best furnished K Boxes around, the Safra also has the usual swimming facilities and a LAN shop for gaming enthusiasts as well as Ishi Mura, a Japanese food street that, until my friend informed me otherwise, I thought was just a run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurant.
What it is, instead, if a food-court styled outlet with different stalls offering different types of Japanese dishes, ranging from ramen to Western fusions like pizza and even a conveyor belt with sushi plates. I shared two dishes from different stalls with my friend, a Salmon Mentai Pizza and Beef Patty with Omelette and Rice.
The pizza, a thinly-crusted confection that costs $7.50 and easily feeds one fully, made for a sumptuous if slightly overwhelming meal. The salmon was done to just the right texture and was complemented well by the copious amounts of cheese, although the mixture was perhaps too filling after several slices. The thin crust was baked just right, crispy but still packing a carbohydrate punch for those looking for a solid staple feel.
The patty and rice combination, costing $5.50, had a distinctly Chinese feel to it, especially in the way the beef and egg were prepared. Having said that, however, the beef was soft without being too chewy and the gravy was tasty, although it tended towards the salty side and, like the pizza, should only be taken in moderate, shared amounts.
We each also had a yakult freeze mixture, raspberry for my friend and mango for myself. Despite their vibrant colours, the drinks were diluted and it was hard to make out the taste of the fruits. At $2.20 a pop, the drinks aren’t particularly expensive even by most food court standards but, considering their quality and the budget feel of the other dishes, aren’t quite worth the money.
The “street” itself is nicely furnished (with a similar to most Food Republic outlets, only more Japanese) and, probably due to the location of Safra itself, wasn’t terribly crowded. The food isn’t something to rave about but would make for a decent meal thanks to the variety offered and the cheaper-than-restaurant prices.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Ishi Mura (Safra Jurong West)
333 Boon Lay Way
#2B-01 Safra Jurong Club
I’ve always wanted to visit The Queen and Mangosteen, one of the restaurant pubs lining the row of eating places at VivoCity. I don’t know whether it’s due to the quirky name, the cosy and inviting decor or the promise of “gourmet British” food but I’ve always wanted to step foot inside and, when I found out that they were having a one-for-one main course promotion for UOB cardholders, I jumped at the chance.
While the promotion only applies to a small list of dishes, the selection sounded appetizing and, while the final product wouldn’t be as “gourmet” as the outlet would like to insist, it was still pretty decent, overall.
A friend and I both had the Grilled Asian Pesto Chicken, a reasonably-sized dish served with Rosemary Roast Potatoes and Garden Vegetables with tomato coriander. The chicken was chewy without being rubbery and had a nice texture to it while the tomato gravy was a bit watery but somehow still had a strong, fragrant Indian spice taste to it. The stars of the meal, though, were the potatoes (and what I imagine was yams). They were soft and sumptuous on the inside while maintaining a crisp skin that made for a perfect carbohydrate complement to the chicken.
Another two friends had the Wild Mushroom Risotto with Asparagus and Oven-dried Tomatoes, a filling platter which they found a tad overwhelming. The large slices of caramelized tomatoes had a soft, mushy texture and, according to my friends, tasted amazing, although by the time I got to a piece of it it tasted like any tomato slice boiled in a pasta broth. The Risotto itself was soft, with a fragrant, strong (some might say too strong) mushroom taste accompanied by delectably sticky strands of cheese running through.
The service was friendly and attentive and the price (about S$12 per person with the promotion counted in) was really good. The restaurant offers both indoor and alfresco dining but, at least for now, I’d advise on the eating in. On the afternoon I was there, despite decent weather (itself a rarity in the erratic Singaporean climate), the experience of eating outside was not only foiled by smokers all around and the ugly sights and sounds of the construction going on across the bay at Resorts World Sentosa. Plus, every single customer besides us was a Caucasian so one might feel a bit out of place (unless you’re an SPG, of course!).
Nonetheless, the food at the outlet was pretty good and, at the prices offered by the promotion (which finished end July), means everyone should give it a go.
Being a Singaporean (i.e. biologically predisposed to loving food), I’ve always liked the ideas of international buffets. After all, what’s not to like? Different styles of cuisines to ensure there’s something for everyone, loads of different dishes and, most importantly, a free flow of said dishes. The only prices with such buffets (especially the ones located in hotels) are their astronomical prices.
Thus, when I found out that Tiffany Café & Restaurant at Furama Hotel was having a one-for-one lunch buffet (another type of food phenomena ubiquitous to the Singaporean food culture) for UOB card holders, I quickly grabbed a few friends to head down for a try. Although the online reviews had been pretty damning, nothing could stand in the way between me and cheap, buffet fare.
I have to say, though, that when I first stepped in and had a go-round to take a look at the food, I feared the reviews were spot-on. Not only was the range very limited (I had thought that there was another entire section somewhere and got a shock when I was realized that was it), the selection seemed geared towards local standards like chicken rice and char kway teow (a.k.a. cheap food) and even buffet standards like the salmon sashimi looked anemic. Thankfully, it was apparently one of those proverbial books that could not be judged by its cover.
Although most of the food looked mediocre, if not downright unappetizing, the quality was actually pretty decent. The sashimi dishes in particular were surprisingly tasty. The salmon sashimi packed a solid bite and a strong but not overwhelming taste while the smoked salmon was just nicely done, with a fantastic texture and taste. The apple salad, too, was fantastic, with a complimentary blend of mild sweetness and tangy sourness.
The local delights (labeled as “Chef’s Specialties") were pretty good too. The chicken rice was fragrant, with chicken done just right, and the laksa packed a wallop of coconut goodness. The kebabs, too, was chewy and not overcooked.
The most surprising, and best, part of the meal had to be the desserts. Although the dessert section was pretty small, only comprising a table and a counter, almost every single one we tried was tantalizing. Some of the mini-cups filled with all sorts of berry-flavoured desserts were a tad weird-tasting, the fondue had a thick and sweet chocolate base, the chocolate mousse was a tasty concoction of light, frothy chocolate cream and the bread pudding was strong and sweet.
The two standouts, though, were definitely the durian pengat and the cream puffs. The durian pengat, apparently some sort of durian paste, was fantastically strong-tasting, packed full of durian bits and chocolate chips (which went surprisingly well with the dish) and we kept going back for seconds. The cream puffs were just the right amount of soft on the outside (without being soggy) and the cold custard on the inside was, to put it mildly, intense.
Overall, I have to say that, while the selection offered by the restaurant is definitely smaller than most international buffets, the dishes offered are cheap and many could be found in hawker centres and the buffet is definitely not worth the full price, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and, at S$20 a head after counting in the UOB promotion, was pretty worth it, if just for the salmon and desserts alone.
Definitely not for those without a UOB credit card or on a budget, but worth a try for those looking for decent food in the area.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Tiffany Café & Restaurant
60 Eu Tong Sen Street
2/F Furama City Centre
Tel: +65 6531 5366
Opening Hours: 6.30am-1am (lunch buffet from 12nn-2.30pm)
Since the addition of an extra half that mega-sized Jurong Point, there has been a huge surge in eating outlets at the mall. Ambush Fast Casual European Dining is one of the new establishments (ironically located in the old wing) that has been receiving some media coverage and which has been recommended to me by no less than three different friends.
Located where Billy Bombers used to be (for those who used to frequent the mall in the “good ol’ days"), Ambush is an oddly named (I’m not sure “Fast” is an appropriate adjective in a title, especially when coupled with “European Dining"), semi-open-air (i.e. no walls) restaurants that serves Italian cuisine at affordable prices. Alas, while the food was decent on the day I went, it failed to live up to the shining reviews all three friends had given it.
I had the slipper lobster with rustico sauce and spaghetti dish (you can mix and match your choice of key ingredient, your sauce and your pasta). The spaghetti had a stringy, succulent texture and the sauce, a tomato mixture with bits of mushrooms, was packed with ingredients and had a tasty oomph but the main event, the lobster, was soft and mushy (instead of being bouncy) and tasted slightly bland.
A friend had the baby scallop with Nori (shredded seaweed) with spaghetti in fish roe cream sauce, which proved to be one of the best dishes of the night. The scallops were soft yet chewy while the sauce was loaded with a generous serving of roe but yet was understated and not overwhelming or too filling.
Another friend had the spicy pork Bratwurst with rosti. The sausage was chewy and juicy, with a slight spicy taste, although the Bratwursts from Marche, an outlet famous for its sausages, are much tastier and better textured. The same goes for the rosti (again with Marche as the most popular benchmark), which is thin and crunchy and feels more like a mid-day snack (like potato chips) than a meal staple.
We also shared meatballs and chips platter, which has Ikea-style Swedish meatballs (an all-time favourite of mine) served with a side of fries. The fries were long and soft without being soggy (just the type I like; I’m not a fan of short, crispy fries) but the meatballs were soft and mushy and the gravy was bland, a far cry from Ikea’s classic dish.
The service was prompt and friendly, though, and the decor is pretty simple and apt, although its location and open-air concept makes for difficult-to-hear conversations.
Overall, while the food isn’t bad per se and the price is about the same as other restaurants of similar standard (the night cost each of us about S$15), it definitely did not live up to expectations.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Ambush Fast Casual European Dining
1 Jurong West Central 2
#02-24 Jurong Point Shopping Centre
I love pizzas (although, if you’ve been faithfully following my posts, and for that I applaud you, I seem to love everything). Every time my friends come over to my place for a bout of gaming, gooey cheesy goodness is always on the dinner menu.
Thus, because home delivered pizza has been such a staple in my social activities, I’ve always been hesitant to order pizzas at non-Fast-Food dining outlets, preferring instead to try other dishes I don’t get to eat so often. Still, when my friends brought me to the Modesto’s at Vivocity and insisted I share the outlet’s signature 20-inch pizza with them, promising a good eat, I readily agreed. After all, how often does one get to partake of a pizza as big as the Lazy Susan on my home dining table?
The three of us shared the 20-inch pizza, a basic cheese, tomato and basil one which we topped with Italian pork parma ham topping. For those who don’t really eat pizzas very often or who are not sure about how inches work, the pizza is basically a monster so large that it had to be served on a separate stand instead of on our table itself. To put it in perspective, the largest pizzas usually found at places such as Pizza Hut or Canadian Pizza are around the 12-inch region.
The pizza was not only big on size (the photos here don’t even begin to do it justice) but big on taste as well. The cheese was smooth and chewy, strong without being overwhelming, while the tomato and basil provided perfect complements for a terrific complete taste. The parma ham was a perfect topping, the salty, generously sliced pieces of pork providing a delightful punch and oomph to the overall flavor of the pizza.
The thin, crispy crust, baked to just the right hardness, meant that, despite its heft, the pizza wasn’t a starch overload and three of us were sufficiently filled but thankfully did not leave the restaurant feeling bloated.
Of course, the restaurant is also (apparently) famous for its other Italian offerings, large servings of pasta amongst them, but, at $35 for the basic pizza and $14 for the parma ham topping (which was considered a premium; there are more basic toppings at $8 each), making the final product slightly over $50 for three people, their 20-inch provides the biggest bang for the buck.
Definitely a must-try at Vivocity and, for those who don’t like to wait in long lines during weekend peak hours, Modesto’s was surprisingly queue free.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Modesto’s Vivocity
1 HarbourFront Walk #01-166/167 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Open daily from 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Tel: 6376 9808
While Singapore might be known as a mishmash melting pot of international cuisine, Vietnamese food has never been a highly prominent member of the list (well, at least not on my list). I had, however, read several reviews praising a particular Vietnamese food outlet in Chinatown and, when I was there recently with my friends, I grabbed the chance to pull them there for a try.
Yummy Viet is located in the middle of Chinatown Food Street, a whole line of cuisine from around the region. The cafe itself has a very unassuming shopfront and plain decoration which, while far from the elaborate stylings of its neighbours, is serviceable and allows for meals with friends without jarring visual stimulation or blaring “ethnic” music ringing throughout the place.
I had the BBQ pork noodles (which almost all the reviews recommended), with a hearty serving of extra vegetables from a particularly carnivorous friend. The pork was really tasty, with a hearty, salty vigour that was just right and not thirst-inducing. The noodles themselves were slightly bland but had a springy feel. The dish also came with a generous serving of vegetables (and that’s before my friend offloaded her entire dish’s worth onto mine) and a spring roll, another highly recommended dish.
One friend had noodles with sliced beef, beef balls and well-done brisket. The soup base was, like in my pork noodles, done just right, with just the right amount of flavour without being too salty. Again, the noodles were springy and bland and the beef itself was generous, if very dry.
Another friend had the Yummy Viet fried vermicelli, which was very similar to dishes you could get at a Chinese zhi char stall. The noodles were done well, with just the right amount of gravy (and delicious, flavour-packed gravy it was). While the prawns in the seafood dish were just decent, the genuine bits of crab meat were tender and succulent and the dish, while a tad oily, was not heavy on the palate (nor was it totally filling, so those looking for a huge meal would do well to order something else on top of this).
We also shared a plate of the signature spring rolls, which were crunchy and ingredients-packed (although they have to be eaten while hot). I washed my meal down with a delightfully refreshing sour plum juice.
While the food at Yummy Viet might not be as earthshaking-ly yummy as the name implies, it is definitely a decent eat and, at slightly over $10 per person, a pretty good value for tourist-laden Chinatown.
Like many Singaporeans, I’m a huge lover of Japanese cuisine, in particular sushi and sashimi. Like most, too, I seldom get to eat it to my heart’s content due to the exorbitant prices of Japanese food locally (not that it’s much cheaper in Japan itself, or so I’ve heard).
Recently, however, upon recommendations by several people, I headed down to a wholesale seafood factory in the hinterlands of Woodlands to get some raw salmon to make my own sashimi salad for dining in the comfort of my own home and boy, was I impressed.
Fassler Gourmet is an unassuming little factory in the middle of a Woodlands industrial estate and I actually had trouble locating an “entrance” because what I assumed to be the backdoor for transport or something was actually the shopfront.
The selection on the day I went was pretty impressive. For customers who actually head down (I understand the factory also does wholesale as well as catering for and delivering to events and functions), there is a little cold room (which is so amazingly frosty that they actually have a set of parkas for people to wear in and, being the foolhardy youth I purport to be, I trudged in dressed in a t-shirt and berms and promptly exited after two minutes) which serves a surprisingly large range of frozen seafoods at cheap prices.
I cannot remember the list exhaustively (although for those interested, the official website has a pricelist of their products) but I remember seeing scallops, octopi, seaweed and several different types (and portions) of fish, all de-boned and packed. I got myself a bottle of baby octopi (marinated in the gravy you get at restaurants) for S$4.50, which yielded almost twice the amount of octopi you can get for that amount at sushi bars, and shared a huge bag of salmon pieces with a friend that cost S$10 for 1kg (an impressively heavy amount that lasted us several meals).
For those who don’t want wholesale-ish seafood, the outlet also offers sliced and neatly packaged sashimi for those who want to be able to eat it on the spot. These ready-made bento boxes of sashimi cost slightly more (500g cost my friend and I S$18) but they’re still way cheaper than at restaurants and come sliced and ready for instant consumption.
The quality is really good, too. The salmon slices we bought tasted fresh and had a thick, meaty texture (instead of the limp, soft, almost-mushy salmon slices you get at “budget” Japanese eateries) and the baby octopi I had were large, chewy and fantastic with the marinate gravy. The fish might not be as amazing as the top grade sashimi you’d pay hundreds for at restaurants but they’re definitely better than the average mall range of eating outlets.
While the prices might still not be cheap enough to make Japanese dining an everyday occurrence (and I’m pretty sure they never will be), it sure beats undergoung heart-stopping swipes of credit cards every time one visits a Japanese restaurant. Highly recommended for those looking for a fix of seafood products and are willing to put in some effort in the kitchen.
Take note, though. Fassler only accepts cash or cheque.
Fassler Gourmet
46 Woodlands Terrace (for those heading there by public transport, take bus number 964 from opposite Admiralty MRT station and stop when you see the Old Chang Kee factory building and walk down the street)
Tel: 6257-5257
Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8am to 5pm
Sat: 8am to 12.30pm
Closed on Sundays
