Showing posts with label china square central. Show all posts
Showing posts with label china square central. Show all posts
Quick Picks: Weekday eats that won't gnaw into your wallet.[Part 1] || Koji, Attap House, Nan Hwa Fishboat
Labels:
affordable,
china square central,
chirashi don,
dinner,
family friendly,
farrer park,
japanese,
large groups,
lists,
lunch,
onenorth,
quick picks,
sashimi,
steamboat,
sushi,
will return
·
Eating on a budget doesn't need to swear off tastiness and border on mediocrity. Here are some of my quick picks for lunch/dinner spots that would be great catch-up spots with friends or even a less romantic deviant for a weekday date night.
First up, Koji, a name synonymous for delightfully engaging chirashi don bowls amidst some pretty tight circumstances. Yes, squeeze your way past the backed up chairs against the wall surrounding the middle island of frenzied chefs and pent up frustrations, and you'll be rewarded with a superfluity of fresh seaward bounty.
8 Affordable Date Night Dinner Places (Part II)
Labels:
affordable,
china square central,
clarke quay,
dinner,
fusion,
hidden finds,
japanese,
lists,
orchard,
quick picks,
raffles place,
romantic,
takashimaya,
tiong bahru,
will return
·
5. Harry's
For the girl looking for a fun night out
At a chilled-out bar in Clarke Quay, the Fish Cracklings ($13) makes everything okay. Arriving at the table deliciously crisp in short order, this would make the perfect accompaniment to a cold pint of beer.
The party doesn't stop here. Bar Snacks incorporating the burn and tingle of local spices have migrated to the new restaurant menu. There's the Harry's Signature Wings (6 pieces/$13) which are so acutely spiced that a dip in the accompanying homemade chilli jam (aka sambal) may seem unnecessary (we still do it anyway).
Folks Collective: food that brings tears to your eyes.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I tucked into the food. Yes, so admittedly, the food was good, but it was even spicier.
Having quite a reputation as a drinking spot of sorts, we put the food at Folks Collective to the taste test.
The Grilled Pork Neck Salad ($10.90) packs quite a mean punch and had us gathering our skirts up in buckets of sweat and dirty whistling in between gulps of ice cold water. Sips on our house wines that came surprisingly cheap due to the festive promotions ($5.50 for a glass of NY Merlot/NY Sauvignon) did aid in putting out the fire. Putting its fury aside, the dish was nothing short of excellent, tender pork neck with a slight smoky tang, well balanced with a good splash of lime, crushed nuts and cool herbs. Heat seekers wouldn't want to miss out on this one.
One bite into the Signature FOLKS Wings ($6.90) revealed that bar snacks is Folk's Collective forte. The spicy notes again, part of an outrageously clever plan to up sell plenty more pints of ice cold draft beer. The wings were juicy, finger licking good with crisp heads of fried skin that shatters in the mouth. Shards of crispy fried garlic creates a separate party in the mouth.
For something a little more substantial, indulge in the Chicken Pad See-Eww ($8.90). Successfully sweet, wok-hei kissed bowl of noodles tantalises ones taste buds. A simple yet satisfying choice should you be thinking of just choosing a single dish to partake in.
A wonderful addition to the table is the Prawn Omelette ($10.90), So it may appear a bit underwhelming as the prawns are chopped to tiny pieces and then scattered midst the fluffy golden crackling of fried egg, but there are apparently advantages to this method as the distribution of prawns is more even and there was zero risk of overcooked prawns.
Offering affordable cuisine with the combination of a chill out environment, Folks Collective has got all the right qualities to draw in the crowds and I'm sure I'll be back to sample more dishes in the near future.
Folks Collective
20 Cross Street
#01-25 China Square Central
S(048422)
t: 6536 6739
w: http://www.folkscollective.com/
w: http://www.folkscollective.com/
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat: 12 pm - 11pm
Mon - Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat: 12 pm - 11pm
Mouth Restaurant @ China Square Central: #LikeABoss
Let me first make a disclaimer; Chinese cuisine and it's intricacies are not and never will be my forte, hence my opinions are entirely subjective and very personal. But nevertheless, being an experimental diner, I was more than thrilled to be invited to Mouth Restaurant to taste the Treasure Pot Feast 九大簋盆菜.
Priced at just $31.80++/person for a party of 6-9 pax, the number scoops down to a low of $29.80++ when you round up more than 10 people for the feast. All this for a palatial and ostentatious 9 course meal fit for a king (promo last till 15th Dec'14). Story goes that the Treasure Pot Feast was invented in close resemblance to the common man's poon choi, but this one done with lavish intent.
We started off the meal with Steamed Shanghai Hairy Crab. Note that this was a replacement to the usual Suckling pig as denoted on the usual Treasure Pot Feast menu; however, Mouth Restaurant is currently having some promotion sets for the hairy crab that are worth checking out. Digging into the cream, roe-infested flesh of this hairy crustacean does set the tone for the meal. Succeeding in gearing the palate up for some culinary pampering.
The Early Days Shark Fin Soup was a well executed version with the extra bells and whistles contributed by the fine shreds of deep fried wanton skins placed on the side that provided texture; the brightening jolt of acid from the vinegar highlighting the affair.
The next dish is an ode to a classic old school dish of prawn toast. The Nostalgic Whole Prawn given a twist with the emergence of whole prawns instead of the conventional prawn mince used to adorn the normally dry door stopper like tiny toasts. A clever reinvention, revealing a dish that I'm sure would steal the hearts of the young and old alike.
The chef's fine-dining chops show on such preparations such as the Sauteed Asparagus with wild mushrooms in truffles. Heady with the aroma of the forest floor wafting through the dining room, I relinquished in the expert execution of this dish, from the crunchy asparagus to the tangle of mushrooms, all this gleaming from a thin coat of oil that gave the dish visual impact.
The next plate featured the traditional braised 'pi-pa' tofu. Deftly shaped in soup spoons, these elegant parcels of silken tofu, minced pork and prawn and other condiments were the epitome of Chinese comfort food emerging in more exquisite forms. It was delicious, enhanced by a crusty exterior that allowed for the salty brown sauce lathered over the top to adhere to it.
The star player of the line-up was undoubtedly the HK Temple Street claypot rice, that true to its form showed up in jaw-drop worthy moments as the gargantuan claypot lid was lifted up. It is a pleasant mix of tender juicy chicken, rice and other proverbial goodies. Dig into this with a generous dash of the garlic vinegar sauce for maximum utility.
But for me, the best dish of the day had to be the Sauteed Basil Grouper in 3 cups sauce. It's sprawling mermaid like stance in the deep bowl revealing hunks of meaty grouper lightly tossed in soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and Thai basil. I chopstick-ed my way through the cascading pyramid of succulent fish, followed bravely alongside Li Tian (dairy&cream) who gamely wrestled the fish head and carcass. Like a boss.
My least favourite dish of the spread came in the form of Braised trio Sea Treasure in Abalone sauce. Since I was not a big fan of either 魚鰾 or 海参, I struggled to find common grounds with the rest of the diners dishing out nothing but praises for this hot plate of delicacies.
Given how impressive the savouries were, we were looking forward to the desserts. The Double Boiled Ginger Tea with Glutinous Rice Balls did not disappoint; I sank deep into the recesses of my seat as I revelled in the warm syrupy sweetness of the ginger tea, the ridiculous burst of flavor from the sesame glutinous rice balls helping to break the monotony.
And if you're not watching your weight, keep a lookout for the cholesterol -busting Baked Salted Egg Yolk Buns. Fragrant, rich salted egg yolk custard is encased in flavorful pastry with a crisp top. Decadence that would cost you another hour on the treadmill if you're addicted. Don't say I didn't warn you. The Squid Ink Char Siew buns are a novelty item that is worth saving some tummy room for too.
Mouth Restaurant
China Square Central
South Bridge Court Shop House
22 Cross Street
#01-61
S( 048421)
T: 64385798
w: http://www.mouth.com.sg/http://www.mouth.com.sg/
Opening Hours:
weekday: 11 30am - 3pm, 6pm-10pm
weekend & PH: 10am - 10pm
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