Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Semi-buffet breakfast with friendly staff! UPDATE (12/04/2017):  The hotel has been rebranded to Ritz Boutique Hotel and has since moved to 23 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem. Jasmine Garden Hotel (3*) is strategically situated within a short walking distance from Hoan Kiem Lake. "The friendliest hotel in Hanoi" can be seen as the tagline in the hotel website. I'm not too sure if that's really true, but I truly appreciated the hospitality that wasn't at all clinical, unlike that in some hotels done for the sake of formality. The breakfast is semi-buffet style, where main course has to be ordered from one of the staff.

Dining with a beautiful view of Hoan Kiem Lake in the evening! Located on the topmost floor of Elegance Diamond Hotel that is situated in the maze of the old quarter of the capital city of Vietnam, The Gourmet Corner Restaurant has been known to pamper its customers with a medley of Vietnamese and Western food, as well as the panoramic view of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Serving Vietnamese food, from northern to southern! After a long day of visiting most of the attractions and landmarks in the old quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam, we were determined to find a particular vegetarian restaurant in the region. Alas, the effort turned out to be futile. However, keeping our chins up, we made a detour, walking further down to discover another famous restaurant that serves a huge array of authentic Vietnamese food.

An interesting array of Vietnamese appetiser dishes! The weather in Hanoi, Vietnam was pleasant that time with an average daily temperature of around 25 °C. However, the haze was really getting on my nerves, ruining my mood to a great extent as I really wanted to go around mostly by foot. Not far from the Temple of Literature, one of the major attractions in the city, is a restaurant run by KOTO (Know One, Teach One), an Australian-Vietnamese charity for underprivileged youth.

Ever tried deep-fried minced pork cake with rice field snails? Welcome to the first review of a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam! I've finally managed to add yet another country tag to this blog. It was my very first time travelling to the country, not really knowing what to expect. On the very first day, I had dinner at a well-known restaurant, which is also known as The Old Quarter Corner Restaurant in English. 

Curly fries? Root beer float? Waffles?  Take your pick! Having migrated to Singapore for more than ten years, I suppose I do have this common 'A&W syndrome' every now and then. Its departure from the country in 2003 was a pity indeed. Before we took the coach back home, we decided to go back to Dataran Pahlawan once again for that extra boost of calories.

Tasty spring rolls and chicken briyani! Situated within the historical area of Melaka, Malaysia, Midcity Hotel Melaka (3.5*) is within easy walking distance to Dataran Pahlawan, the largest shopping complex in the region. Besides providing buffet breakfast, the hotel also houses a bar which is promised to offer a panoramic view of the city.

Stir-fried squid that reminded me of home~ Prior to the trip, I had been searching day and night for a restaurant that serves good and authentic Peranakan cuisine. Listed as one of the original Peranakan restaurants in town, Ole Sayang was the place of choice for dinner during our 2D1N trip. One of the reasons is its close proximity to Midcity Hotel Melaka where we were staying in.

Decadent rum and raisin  mille crêpe! Probably the most famous cakery chains in Melaka, Malaysia, Nadeje has been in operation since 2006. It's well-known for its intriguing variety of mille crêpe (French cake made of many layers).

The best 'asam laksa' I've ever had in my life! After our late lunch at Kedai Kopi Chung Wah , we walked down the crowded Jalan Hang Jebat, which is also commonly known as Jonker Street. Every Friday and Saturday evening. it turns into a bustling night market. Our aim was to find an eatery that's well-known for its tasty Peranakan dishes.

Haphazardly chopped chicken, but enjoyable rice balls! As promised earlier, we're going to bring you on a gourmet trip to Melaka, Malaysia! The moment we hopped off our bus, we immediately rushed to one of the most famous Hainanese chicken rice ball eatery in the area. A trip to Melaka won't be complete without trying the signature chicken rice balls, they say.

One of the best, tangy salad dishes in the recent years! UPDATE (11/10/2020):  With the closure of Mövenpick Heritage Hotel, the restaurant has closed down as well. Have you heard about Mövenpick Heritage Hotel in Sentosa Island, which is just a stone's throw away from Imbiah Station? Housed inside the hotel is Tablescape, a chic restaurant with a delightfully relaxing ambience.

Smooth and creamy coconut ice cream! In this sunny island of Singapore, ice cream is a year-round treat for many. Today, I'm going to write about a particular ice cream vendor, which history dates back to 1984. As a purveyor of premium ice cream, New Zealand Natural can be found in no less than 23 countries as of today.

The miso ramen wasn't bad... When literally translated into English, the name of the restaurant means 'big black shop'. However, according to itself, Daikokuya (大黒屋) means 'God of Wealth'. Given such a grand name, I was expecting the food to be great. Were they? Read further to find out.

Delectably crispy sea bass on a bed of beetroot quinoa! UPDATE (20/01/2020):  The restaurant has closed down. Known to be the largest al fresco  restaurant in the heart of Orchard Road, Alfresco Gusto serves modern Italian fare. Alas, due to the haze, I had no choice but to forgo the idea of dining outside to save my vulnerable lungs. 

Have you ever had 'you tiao' with dry 'laksa'? UPDATE (26/02/2017):  The café has closed down. Nestled in the busy district of Little India, Flee Away Café calls for customers to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life in its place full of antiques. It has a small section of its menu dedicated to fusion dishes.

Delectable deep-fried squid with sweet soy sauce, but... UPDATE (02/10/2016):  The restaurant has closed down. For a taste of New Zealand, one may want to head to Clarke Quay to find this cosy restaurant which opened its door in 2012. However, its history dates all the way back to 1988 in the original country; in Christchurch, to be exact. My little bear seemed to be overwhelmed by the huge plate in front of him! :P

Watermelon lychee crush to beat the hot weather! Hailing from Australia, Boost Juice Bars has come a long way from its humble origin to more than 300 outlets worldwide. It provides not only the usual selection of juice, but also other beverages that are guaranteed to be made of fresh ingredients daily. The Australian website boasts the use of "7 million bananas, 6 million oranges, 3 million apples, 3 million carrots, 100,000 celery bunches, 600,000 pineapples, 900 tonnes of watermelon, 20 million strawberries, 1 million whole mangoes, 9 million raspberries, 30 million blueberries, and 2 million passion fruits" every year.

Thick hamburgers hailing from Malaysia! Having been successful with more than 30 branches in Malaysia, Fat Cow Palace crossed the causeway to open its first branch here in Singapore. Smacked in the busy Temple Street at Chinatown, it focuses mainly on serving a variety of mouth-watering hamburgers. FYI, the cow soft toy in the picture below belongs to me; it isn't the property of the eatery. One of the friendly servers actually requested to take a picture of me with that. Haha...

Healthy food with a touch of TCM! If you're looking for a healthy meal full of goodness imparted by Chinese herbs, I highly recommend Herbal Oasis. Opened by a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) clinic named Ren Hai (仁海堂), the eatery has been serving nourishing item, in particular soup dishes, since early January this year.

Heavenly fried calamari with butter sauce! Ah Loy Thai has been known as an eatery which serves authentic cuisine of the Land of White Elephant at affordable prices. I've only been to Shaw Towers a few times thus far, and it was only on my last visit that I decided to step into the eatery.

Singapore's first and only customisable sushi and salad! Fancy customising your hand-rolled sushi  and/or salad? Here at Maki San, you can do that simply by grabbing a form and ticking the ingredients that you'd like to have for your meal. Currently available at The Cathay @ Dhoby Ghaut and The Arcade @ Raffles Place, the branch that I went to was the latter.

Hamburg steak has become smaller? I used to frequent Pepper Lunch during my secondary school days. After a long period of hiatus, I decided to give it another go, patronising the relatively new branch at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. Do you know that the logo is shaped in the form of a palette to symbolise the dream of its founder, Mr. Kunio Ichinose? It's said that "he sees the world as a white canvas where he wishes to add colours with his restaurants to make people happy."

Nasi lemak ice cream!? Initially known for its extraordinary ice cream, Swensen's was founded in San Francisco, the USA in 1948. Today, it has grown to about 300 outlets worldwide. Upon knowing that the restaurants in Singapore are now serving a peculiar-flavoured ice cream variant, I immediately patronised the branch at Plaza Singapura.

"Even the Godfather loves it!" Be natural, nice and excellent. These are the three principles that have been guiding Marco Alfero, the owner who first opened his café at Marina Square in September 2011. I chanced upon one of the branches while I was wandering inside Orchard Gateway, one of the latest additions to the vibrancy of Singapore's shopping paradise.

Juicy mixed kushiyaki grilled with imported charcoal! Being a Japanese restaurant that specialises in kushiyaki (Japanese grilled skewered items), Shin Kushi-Ya is proud to present an enormous selection of mouth-watering skewered meat and vegetables. It also boasts the use of imported bincho charcoal which is said to "[enable] a crisp exterior whilst sealing the natural flavours [and] juice within" the skewered items.

So-so beef noodles, but good chicken chop noodles! The Paradise Group, which manages restaurants such as Paradise Dynasty , has recently come up with a casual, no-frills eatery that focuses mainly on Taiwanese beef noodles. At the point of writing, you can find Le Nu at VivoCity and Bugis Junction, the former being the place that I'm going to write a review on.

Two delightful chicken dishes done Indonesian style! UPDATE (04/12/2015):  The restaurant has closed down. The Moluccas Room was born in an attempt to elevate Indonesian cuisine to the level of fine dining, adding yet another chic restaurant in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. The name Moluccas refers to the Maluku Islands, which are also informally known as the Spice Islands due to its historical significance as a hub of trading of the said goods.

Crispy chicken wings with Thai chili sauce! I've recently had the chance to visit the Singapore Zoo again after 10 years. While walking through the replicas of habitats all over the world did bring back fond memories, it was dining at Bongo Burgers again that I was anticipating at the end of the day, despite the fact that I didn't enter the Night Safari afterwards.

Rice ladled with flavourful soy sauce! Central Hong Kong Café claims itself to be the first HK style café chain in Singapore which has been in operation since 2004. Well, the Central District of HK has always hold a place in my heart, more so after the student exchange programme in 2012.

Serving juicy beef burgers since 1928 in Canada! Hailing from Vancouver, Canada even before even before the Golden Arches came into the fast food scene, Triple O's has had a total of more than 60 outlets to date throughout the maple country and Asia. Boasting its 100% Canadian beef patties with secret sauce, thick-cut fries and hand-scooped milkshakes, the outlet at Orchard Road is probably one of the few in Singapore to offer poutine (Canadian fries served with brown sauce and cheese curds).

Affordable Japanese main courses with appetiser and dessert buffet! The extension to Plaza Singapura, which I've just recently had the time to leisurely walk around, houses many eateries. Hifumi Japanese Restaurant is one of them, providing all-you-can-eat appetiser and dessert bar with every purchase of a main course. After reading other food blogs, I believe the restaurant rotates the free items.

Tender chicken satay with a waterfront view! Surrounded by lush greenery which faces a waterfront is a food court called Satay by the Bay, which features not only traditional satay, but also other local fares. It's said to be reminiscent of the old Satay Club, which last year of operation was back in 2005. I don't have the privilege of nostalgia here, but I did enjoy the atmosphere while having skewered goods from 五棵树 (lit. 'five trees'), a Hainanese satay stall.

A huge selection of colourful Indian dishes with amicable service! UPDATE (28/05/2019):  The restaurant has closed down. Situated next to Café Salivation , which review was written last month, Jade of India is also managed by the Raj Group of Restaurants. Having been pretty much amazed by the vegetarian food served by the former, I decided to give the non-vegetarian restaurant a try. Dining in Jade of India allows one to order food from Café Salivation as well, but not vice versa.

Sweet, nicely caramelised grilled fish! My recent craving for authentic Indonesian cuisine had compelled me to give Warung Surabaya a try when I was at Orchard. It was a scorching day, so I'd been hoping that the food I was about to eat wouldn't be too spicy. Apparently, I had to take out quite a lot of tissue paper. Haha...

Sweet and delicious stack of deep-fried onion rings! UPDATE (21/12/2019):  The restaurant has closed down. Following the review on the now defunct  Tony Roma's in HK that I wrote back in 2012, it's high time I wrote about one of the outlets here in Singapore. Founded in 1972, Tony Roma's has already had more than 200 restaurants in 27 countries.

Cheap and crispy salmon skin! Still on Tiong Bahru Plaza, visitors who're looking for light bites can head down to the squeezy B1 floor. As I was looking for a quick dinner, I decided to give Umi Sushi a try for the first time. I brought my hungry little bear that day.

Good chicken nuggets, better mushrooms and best fruit tea! UPDATE (16/10/2017):  The kiosk has closed down. Crispy chicken nuggets, anyone? Instead of serving only the more ubiquitous Taiwanese chicken cutlet, J&G Fried Chicken also prepares bite-sized chicken nuggets. Founded in Taichung, Taiwan in 1937, it opened its first outlet here in Singapore sometime last year.

When kaya mousse met strawberry jam~ Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone! This year, the streets of Chinatown here in Singapore are lit by more than 3,000 flower-shaped lanterns. After pondering for so long, I've finally decided to give the snowskin mooncakes from the purveyor of 'the finest teas of the world' a try.

Virgin experience with kangaroo meat! The House of Robert Timms is one of the oldest gourmet coffee brand in Australia. Staying true to its coffee roots, it has since expended its business, opening its first bistro in Singapore at Wheelock Place on 4 November 2010. Pikachu couldn't wait to taste his first kangaroo meat ever!

Mouth-watering red wine risotto with grilled duck breast! UPDATE (20/01/2020):  The restaurant has closed down. Hidden along the quiet Stanley Street near Telok Ayer MRT station, the eatery which literally means 'black pepper' whips up Italian dishes in a cosy, lovely setting. I finally brought Melon again to dine with me and my BFF. Look at her excited look in front of a dish of panna cotta (lit. cooked cream)!

Eight colourful xiao long bao, anyone? Renowned for its unique  xiao long bao  (lit. little basket bun), Paradise Dynasty was previously listed as one of the best restaurants in Singapore. Even if it's no longer the case this year, it seems to be as popular as ever, judging from the queue a the ION Orchard branch. The restaurant itself simulates the opulence and majesty of imperial China, which picture can be seen at the end of this review.

Vegetarian spring roll filled with ricotta cheese! Café Salivation is a vegetarian eatery serving a selection of MSG-free international cuisine, using only sunflower and olive oil. Previously situated somewhere along Syed Alwi Road, a haven of vegetarian food, it has moved to Race Course Road. Its proximity to Farrer Park MRT station is definitely a plus point.

A soup named after a famous American music duo? The Soup Spoon opened its first outlet at Raffles City in 2002, growing rapidly to a total of 20 branches in Singapore and 3 branches in Jakarta, Indonesia as of now. The aroma of freshly made soup wafting in the air enticed me to give it a try when I was looking for a simple dinner at Bugis Junction.

Green-coloured siew mai, anyone? Located in the heart of Chinatown, Yum Cha has always been popular with its affordable High Tea Buffet  priced at S$21.80 for adults and S$16.80 for children below the age of 12. You can expect more than 60 dim sum items to choose from, and I'd decidedly chosen 10 items from the menu to be reviewed even before I ordered any.

How are the gourmet two-for-one pizzas?  First of all, happy 49th birthday, Singapore! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything thus far! To celebrate this year's National Day, I went for two-for-one pizzas. What else can it be, other than Canadian Pizza which phone number of 6241 0241 even reflects the deal?

Monster-sized, rich and sweet demi-glace curry rice! The recent urge to had Japanese curry rice arose due to the fact that a friend of mine, who was participating in an exchange programme in the Land of the Rising Sun, kept posting pictures of Go Go Curry (ゴーゴーカレー) in Shibuya, Tokyo. As I was in Nex the other day, I went to the newly opened branch of Monster Curry with my BFF and my hunchbacked bear who was overwhelmed by the huge size of the plate.

Quick Mexican fare with free tortilla chips! Today's review shall be the last one of the month, and cheers for the fact that it's the first review with the label 'Mexican'! A fast casual chain of Tex-Mex restaurants, Baja Fresh was founded in California in 1990, currently having branches in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Singapore as well. 

Enjoying chrysanthemum sorbet with a splendid view of the city! UPDATE (26/11/2017):  The restaurant has closed down. Still on Marina Bay Sands, I decided to have dinner against a panoramic view on the 57th floor in a restaurant helmed by chef Justin Quek. Sky on 57 features a selection of modern interpretation of Franco-Asian cuisine, and it seems like Maine lobster is one of its specialties as it is featured in a few dishes offered. 

Private room with a pleasant curry aroma... :P Proudly advertising itself as "the most spectacular hotel in Singapore", Marina Bay Sands (5*) is indeed one of the most sought-after hotel accommodations, especially due to its stunning infinity swimming pool on the 57th floor.