Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog

Han’s is a casual place for quick lunch and dinner that serves mainly Western food with some Asian delights as well. It is just a normal cafe with very affordable prices so you would not like to expect too delicious food. My friends and I went to the Novena Square outlet. I once dined at the outlet at Suntec City and unlike that place, this outlet is self service when it comes to ordering your food. I also realised that the place was rather noisy, and hence the ambience of a local food court instead.

It is definitely more worth it if you order their All Day Set Meals than A La Carte items off the menu as it comes with a drink, dessert and soup of the day. The Grilled Dory Fish set ($9.80) I ordered was mediocre. I guess it would be wiser to have their pasta dishes. The soup served was cream of chicken which tasted just like Pizza Hut’s which I really liked but I would love it even more if they could add in chicken chunks like Pizza Hut does.

 I got disappointed when I realised that by dessert they meant a slice of watermelon for each person. I think it’s controversial but I don’t classify fruits under dessert. Even though it’s healthier I would still prefer my usual, sinful slice of cake or glass of ice cream. Even if they do want to use fruits for dessert, a puny slice of watermelon for a person is not doing justice to people.

 The main (grilled dory) tasted fine, but I get the feeling that it is lightly battered rather than grilled. What I would call a simple dish that’s not too oily.

Well I guess it’s alright for people who wants something quick but are not picky over their food, but I really do wonder if it’s as noisy as it was on the day I went.

Han’s

Novena Square

238 Thomson Road #01-20/21

63527478

Alright, after posts of the Western/Italian cuisine, this shall be my first post of a Japanese restaurant. I first fell in love with the Japanese cuisine when I toured central Japan last year. So far I find that the Japanese food in Singapore cannot meet up with the authentic Japan food but that won’t stop me from dining Japanese style.

After church service on a Sunday afternoon, we were wandering round the Serangoon Gardens area hunting for a lunch place. Then we came upon myVillage, a small and quiet sort of mall, and that was where we chancedd upon Shin Kushiya. I love it’s cool and black interior, and how the seats for each table could accomodate a large number of patrons.

There is a current lunch promotion where the second lunch set bought go at half price. The lunch sets come with a few other side dishes like fruits and veggies. My brother ordered the Chicken Teriyaki set (original price $16.80). According to my mom and brother the chicken tasted ordinary and not outstanding enough, and that Sakae Sushi has better teriyaki.

I ordered the Oyako Don set (original price $16.80) which consisted of the main dish of chicken and egg in a rice bowl. I find it rather filling. It would be beetter if there was more meat and eggs and less rice.

The Cream Brulee ($4.80) would definitely sound nicer if it goes by it’s original name of Creme Brulee on the menu, but I understand that it is pretty weird to have a French delight in a Japanese restaurant already. Egg custard has never tasted so sweet and good. Want perfection? Have the strawberry, egg custard and caramelized crust in a spoonful and devour them all together.

Overall the food here is not bad but prices can be quite expensive for some ala carte items. The ambience and service is good and you might consider myVillage for some casual dining if you prefer quiet places. Other restaurants here includes Chinese cuisine like the Old Hong Kong Restaurant and western cuisine like Bakerzin and Relish.

myVillage @ Serangoon Garden

1 Maju Ave

#02-03/04/05/06

Tel: 66342816

Let’s just say I did not have the best lunch experience at this cafe, but I guess it could be blamed on my poor choice of food and just recovered stomach (from a gastric flu) on the day I patronised it. Gastric flu’s a terrible thing. You lose appetite for whatever food and you seem to feel full after a few mouthfuls of the best thing in the world. All you want to do is lie on the couch and sleep. Anyway, I digress.

Blue Mountain Cafe gives you a comfy feel as you pass by it, what with the brown furniture. However I don’t like how they use blue cups to contrast with the brown table thinking it’s a good combination. It serves affordable and mainly western food but you may not want to expect too much out of it.

I thought that the Sweet & Sour Fish Baked Rice ($12.90) sounded special enough so I went with it. Unfortunately I am not really a sweet-and-sour person so I ddid not have the appetite to polish off the plate. For lovers, this may just be right for now. My first bite into this dish was really heavenly, especially since it came piping hot from the oven. I find it a good fusion of western and chinese cuisine.

I did not feel like ordering any more food but not buying a dessert is not doing justice to myself. The Chocolate Heaven ($5.20) was basically just a chocolate cake full of nothing but chocolate. Some complete chocolatey cakes can pull off and give a strong but not sick flavor however it wasn’t really the case for this cake. I don’t like how the chocolate cream that takes up most of the cake taste ordinary as house brand chocolate and made me feel sick after a few more bites. If that was the case, they should have more sponge layers of cake in between the creamy chocolate.

Affordable prices, decent food. Up to you.

IKEA is a good place to go even if you may not want to buy furniture or home-ware. It’s just a comfy place to be, what with the heavy smell of oak wood and sounds of families spending time together. At the same time, it is definitely a heaven for its cheap yet good food. By cheap I do not mean the cheapest, as the portion sizes are smaller; and by good I don’t mean the best either. However some items on the menu are really worth a try.

Their promotion for this month features the Chicken Breast w/ Pasta going on the menu for $3.50 at a discount of 4 dollars from its original price. This dish should come with a ‘Healthier Choice’ label – its chicken breast was lightly fried with not much oil and suitable for people like me who avoid deep fried meat cutlets at all costs, the small serving of penne was coated with a vegetable sauce that I didn’t like very much but I believe there’s a first for everything. The penne was tried to be cooked al dente but got overdone and tasted a tad too firm.

IKEA’s all time signature dish – SWEDISH MEATBALLS ($5.40 for 10 pieces) ! I guess there’s not much to say about them. Yum yum for my tum. The lingonberry jam and cream sauce that came with them perfect it and complements any other food. I was just pretty disappointed that it came with fries on the plate instead of the usual baked potatoes.

I especially loved the top layer of butterscotch of the Almond Cake ($3) as it was sweet in a non-chocolaty way and sweet in such a gooooood way. I love its size and proportion so that it doesn’t make you feel sick after eating it a while, and that is a huge factor for bakers to fret over.

On the second level, you can expect to find stores selling Swedish foodstuff like chocolates and sweets as well as a bistro which is famous for its Hot Dog buns that go for a dollar each and soft serve Vanilla cone ice-cream which used to be at a dollar and a half but is just going for 50 cents now. Nicer and cheaper than McDonalds. A great deal.

I guess there’s really not a reason to dislike IKEA. You drool at the model designer rooms and meaty beef & pork balls and get to try all of them at the same time.

A few months ago I had a voucher that entitled me to some privileges at Modesto’s restaurants but being quite a lazy person I past its expiry date. Even so, I got tempted to pay the restaurant a visit since I had already checked out its menu.

The place feels airy and spacious, with both indoor and outdoor seatings available. In the breezy afternoon, it felt casual and just the right ambience for some good lunch and chat.

Complimentary focaccia with olive oil

 When the Salsiccia E Scarmoza ($21.50 for regular size) pizza first came to the table its appearance made my expectations seem too high. I was definitely expecting it to look more appetising. It’s taste however, was a different story. The pork was the main lead. It was certainly very chewy and meaty, and especially filling.

The Crepes Alle Fragole ($13) was nothing very much special, with strawberry ice-cream wrapped in the crepe served with berries.

All in all, their food is not bad, but the prices are quite high for the quality.

Modesto’s @ Vivo

1 HarbourFront Walk #01-166/167 VivoCity
Singapore 098585
Open daily from 12:00pm – 10:00pm
For reservations and enquiries, please call: 6376 9808

Mad for Garlic is a restaurant founded by Koreans that serves Italian food and wine. It is tucked away in a corner of Suntec City Mall (near Haagen Dazs) and hence, uneasy to locate. I had to walk for quite awhile before finding it in the right tower and corner.

Once stepping in, you will find that the ambience is qutie professionalized and high class in a way.

As their name goes, Mad for Garlic has several dishes incorporated with garlic. They mainly serve pastas, fried rice, pizzas and wine. It is recommended to try their garlic dishes but be warned that they tend to be quite spicy.

The Arrabbiata ($16.90) I tried had the degree of spiciness which was a little too over the top for me to handle, but I still licked it clean as the pasta’s chilli sauce speaks much of quality and is definitely worth to try.

My mother tried the Garlic Sizzling Rice ($17.90) which was also spicy. However, I did not find the fried rice as fulfilling as the pasta did. Other signature dishes you can try are their Garlicpeno pasta and Garlic snowing pizza.

As for dessert, I ordered the Tiramisu Cake ($7.90). Instead of sprinkling chocolate powder on the cake, the chef had it made into the shape of a garlic on the plate instead, which was creative indeed.

Mad For Garlic Singapore
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-039, Suntec City Mall
Singapore 038983
Tel: 6333 1507
Fax: 6333 0507

Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday:
11:30am to 10:00pm

Friday – Saturday:
11:30am to 11:00pm

Lazy day.

I wandered around Orchard, my current favorite spot for a quick getaway from boredom at home. I was looking for Pique Nique as I read some good reviews about it. I was about to just head into any other cafe I see (because I was feeling rather hungry at 2pm) but then I just spotted it at Ngee Ann City Tower A. 🙂 I could’ve easily gotten the unit number and hunt for it but I do not wish to go to such an extent.

I stepped in and realised I love the ambience immediately. Cafes with little cute and girly and attractive interiors appeal a lot to me. Service was not bad too.

Previously, I had not tried eggs benedict before so the curiousity in me made me order the Classic Benedict ($12). My verdict? Egg benedicts is so good. I especially love the Hollandaise sauce (the yellow sauce on the egg, made of egg yolk and butter). The burger buns at the bottom were fried to a perfect crisp. I just wished they substituted the fries with a healthier alternative… trying to avoid fries.

Cakes galore! At first I thought of ordering 3 cakes instead of a main course and a cake because the cakes on display looked appetising, and there were a variety of them too. But then I didn’t regret having the eggs benedict.

Triple Chocolate Cheese Cake ($7.50). Indeed heavenly. First layer – cream milk chocolate. Second layer – cheesecake. Third layer – dark chocolate brownie with nuts. Forget the noodles and rice, I can live by desserts forever.

The cafe should let the waiters bring the bill to us, instead of the customers having to pay the bill at the cashier. This is just probably a lazy remark, but we do pay a service charge.

I aim to be there again to try their mac & cheese and other cakes. 🙂