Phó 4A

Hello everyone!

I thought I would have more time to write since it's the holiday period but I have been going out to catch up with my friends whom I have not seen for a while (university really takes away your social life). Recently I met up with Jo and we decided to have lunch at Phó 4A. I was in the mood for noodles and this was the perfect place. This was my second time in Phó 4A and I left the place feeling really happy once again. 

If you have been reading my previous food reviews, you would know how much I admire interiors. Phó 4A was not an exception. I really love the cosy interior and the bamboo mats that were placed on the table made me feel at home. It was definitely the right place to catch up and reminisce all the good old times with great company. 

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a friendly staff who handed us the menu. They do not have an extensive menu - 7 mains and 6 sides. True to their name, the mains consisted of all Phó except for one fried rice. 

Jo ordered the Pho Bo Tai Nam ($8) - Beef noodle soup with half-cooked steak and well-done brisket.

I ordered the Pho Bo Chin Nam($8.50) - Beef noodle soup with well-done brisket and flank.

2. Pho Bo Chin Nam($8.50)

The portion is very huge and it really fills up the tummy. You can probably tell from the picture how generous they are with their portion. 

Both the dishes were served with a plate of condiments. To be honest, the soup was flavourful and did not require any additional garnish. But I like some spice in my food so I added the chilli padi. I used the sauces to dip my meat inside for extra spice and flavour. The sauce had the sweet and sour taste which normally do not like but this one surprisingly complemented the meat. Since my meat my well-done I was afraid that it might be a little dry. However, the meat was well-cooked and thinly sliced which was a treat for my taste buds.

Cha Qio ($7)

We also ordered a side to accompany our dishes. In simple words, they are spring rolls with minced chicken and mixed vegetables rolled with rice paper. It was served with a tangy sauce that really complemented this dish. I love spring rolls and this one was amazing. This one is a must-try!

Overall, I am really satisfied with the service, food and ambience. The best thing about this place is that you do not need to pay GST or service charge. What you see on the menu is what you pay which is awesome! Plus, it is very hard to find affordable halal Vietnamese Cuisine in Singapore, and I would recommend you to check out this place. Although the place is small and may not accommodate so many people, it gives a cosy and homely feeling that makes it an ideal place for you to catch up with old friends.

Venue

• No 7 Jalan Pisang
• Singapore 199074

(Located beside Hjh Maimunah and opposite Fluff Bakery)

Opening Hours

11:00 am to 3:00 pm (Lunch)

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Dinner)

*Closed on Sundays

Contact

Phone: 6294 0703

Email: Pho4allhalalviet@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phó-4A-Halal-Vietnamese-Cuisine/

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21 on Rajah

Hello everyone!

I love May. Firstly, because it's the school holidays for me and it's the month of my best friend's birthday! Since it was her 21st birthday, we wanted to have a lunch buffet and after researching we decided on 21 on Rajah. The place received really good reviews and for the price of $32++ for lunch buffet on a Saturday seemed reasonable considering all the positive reviews.

Living in the NorthEast side, I must say it was a little inconvenient for me to travel all the way to Jalan Rajah. Nevertheless we were all excited to try the much talked about restaurant. When we first arrived, it wasn't so hard to locate the place as it was rather prominent from the bus stop near Moulmein CC. 

When we arrived I cannot deny how much I loved the interior, it was decorated in white tiles and bird cages were hanging from the top (how cute!). I wish I had taken a picture of the interior to show you guys. The place was big and it was able to accommodate really large groups. I was hoping that a large space will also be catered to display their food and I have to say I was really disappointed with the variety of food they had. Let me take you guys through what they really had on that day.

Cold Seafood Section - Prawns and Mussels

You can accompany the seafood with any of the 3 sauces available. They had garlic Garlic Salsa, Wasabi Mayo and Tomato Coriander Chilli Salsa. I went with the Garlic Salsa and some lemon as I am not a big fan of wasabi and I wanted something light.

I must say the seafood was really fresh and juicy. I was going back for multiple helpings because this was the best thing they had for that day.

4 types of Sushi

My hopes of eating some salmon that day was dashed. I love sushi and this was definitely not the best I've eaten but it was decent. The inari sushi and California sushi was not too bad. 

Salad Section

The ham used in the salad was very fresh and the cherry tomatoes were a delight to my taste buds. 

"Did you come here to eat tomatoes?" (Roslina, 2014)

But the cherry tomatoes were really yummy. They also had a DIY salad station where you could mix rocket leaves, romaine leaves and a few stuff with any sauce of your choice. 

Roasted Carrot and Baby Potato

I liked this dish but then again, how can anyone dislike potatoes. PLUS IT'S ROASTED MINI POTATOES.

Oven Baked Boneless Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

They also had Lamb Stew, Garlic Sautéed Asparagus and Baby Carrots, (Bland) Mac and Cheese, Sweet and Sour Fish, White Rice, (Unseasoned) Fish and Malay Style Mee Goreng which I did not get a picture of. 

Dessert Section

We decided to take the desserts last but this was what was left. I really wanted to try the Tiramisu but sadly it was all gone within an hour. I have high expectations for desserts (I secretly blame my family members for spoiling my taste buds with fantastic desserts). But this was nowhere near meeting my expectations. The Ondeh-Ondeh was really thick which did not give enough room for the gula melaka syrup. The Carrot Cake was so dry. The Panna Cotta lacked flavour and the chocolate syrup overpowered the taste. The jelly (Agar-Agar) was too sweet. 

"Even my worse attempt on agar-agar would taste better than this" (Roslina, 2014) 

The cheesecake and black forest cake was pleasant but not enough to salvage my opinion on the desserts. They also had a fruit section where you can select from 3 different fruits.

Nazreen baked a cake for Roslina and it tasted better than the desserts that they had on that day. 

Side note: Nazreen has her own business so do check her out. She has cakes, cupcakes and brownies (TRY HER BROWNIE)

Instagram: @nazspasteleria

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nazspasteleria

The total bill came up to $112 for 3 people and DBS/POSB card holders were entitled to 15% discount. Overall, I was greatly disappointed with my experience with 21 on Rajah. They did have really fresh seafood and salad but the other food were of average standard. One would expect to have a wider range especially during a weekend but I guess I should not have dined in with such high expectations. 

"I am not full, but I do not know what to eat anymore." (Roslina, 2014) 

Roslina does not have a very big appetite and for her to say this just shows the lack of variety they offered.

The menu does rotate and perhaps some other day you may get better dishes but judging from my experience I am not very sure. 

For $32 it was definitely not value for money and it will probably be my last time here. This is just my opinion and preferences vary. If you would like to patronise them someday, the venue is below. If you are going in big groups or going on a weekend it is safer to make a reservation. You might want to consider going for dinner instead of lunch since most of the positive reviews came from Dinner experience.

Venue

Days Hotel At Zhongshan Park

1 Jalan Rajah

Tel: 68086868

www.dayshotelsingapore.com

Operating Hours: Weekdays

Breakfast - 6.00am til 10.30am

Lunch - 12.00pm til 2.30pm

Dinner - 6.00pm til 10.30pm

Operating Hours: Weekends

Breakfast - 6.00am til 11.00am

Lunch - 12.00pm til 3.00pm

Dinner - 6.00pm til 11.00pm

https://www.facebook.com/21onRajah

Comment down below if you have visited 21 on Rajah and had a different experience from me!

Till then, have a nice day!

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La Marelle Café & Boutique

Hello everybody!

Firstly HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

It's my first post of the year and I blame my laziness and laptop for such a delayed post. My laptop had to be reformatted and the process took longer than expected.

Since my India trip, I have been eating lots and lots of Indian food. So when I planned to meet up with my best friend Roslina and Nazreen, I was craving for aglio olio really bad. I wanted to go to a cafe and we decided to take a trip down to Arab Street as that place is filled with a lot of halal eateries. We were just walking around when we stumbled upon La Marelle. It was located above another cafe and the stairway was too cute to ignore.  

I really loved the cute and colorful interior. We were a little concerned when we did not spot any halal certificate in the cafe. But when we asked the staff, they ensured us that the chef is muslim and their ingredients are all from a halal supplier. 

When I checked their Facebook page, we found this comment:

We get our food from a halal certified caterer (also our central kitchen) called AM Chef, you can check in the Muis website. And we get some of our cakes from a muslim baker. Some cakes are imported from Indonesia, and some are from a normal baker which makes his cake in a halal way, no alcohol, no pork or lard. Also our new in-house chéf, he is Muslim.

You will be able to find cute stationery and pretty bags that you can purchase in the café itself.

Initially I thought that the café was rather small but they have another level to cater to more customers.

Aglio Olio ($15.90++)

You may have guessed my order by now. I was pleasantly surprised with the presentation. It was the first time I see an orangey red colored aglio olio. The dish was served with salad. Roslina does not like aglio olio and she approved of this dish. So, I was really excited to try it and I was not disappointed. I felt that the spaghetti alone tasted a little bland but the olives and turkey bacon complemented the whole dish.

Mexican Sausage Croissant ($12.90++)

Italian Sausage Croissant ($12.90++)

Both dishes were served with nachos and salsa. I am a big fan of croissants. The differences in the croissant dishes are the sauces and the sausage. The nachos and the salsa were really good and refreshing. After tasting the Mexican, the Italian Sausage Croissant fell short in terms of taste. Nevertheless, it was very filling and worth the price. 

Caramel Mousse ($7.50)

I have a huge weakness for caramel and anything that has caramel in it. So I had to try it. As you can see there are several layers and the flavours all came together beautifully. It also had a crunchy chocolate layer that made me want to have more.

Chocolate Truffle ($7.50)

Nazreen does not eat anything that has cream cheese. So we got the chocolate truffle to share. I was a little sceptical about the choice but I definitely was not disappointed when I tried it. The crunchy and sweet base was the best part of the cake. 

The total bill came up to about $66 after service charge and gst. I must mention that I was really satisfied with the service. It is worth a second visit!

• Venue
• 25A Baghdad Street
• Singapore 199664


Opening Hours
Mon - Sun
11:00 - 23:00

Contact: 9852 7443

Email ardrossali@bereit.info

Website http://www.fb.com/lamarellecafe

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Kublai Khan Steamboat Buffet

Hello everybody!

It's been raining almost everyday and now is the time to finally put on your favorite sweater that has been kept in your wardrobe for far too long. A hot bowl of soup will always be the best meal choice in this cold weather.

Jo and I were waiting for our exams to end just so we could celebrate our holidays. The sad truth is that it is really rare to find a steamboat buffet that is halal certified. I have been going to Seoul Garden and I must say the standard has dropped over the years. I asked my cousin for some recommendations and she mentioned Kublai Khan Steamboat. I have heard about Kublai Khan Mongolian Buffet earlier this year but never got to try them as there were mixed reviews for the place.

But I thought I should give this place a try since it is fairly new and thehalalfoodblog gave a good review about it. It was not hard to find the place, it is just beside Simlim Square facing Laselle. The steamboat buffet only starts at 5.30pm and we were the first to arrive. We were welcomed by friendly staff and ushered to our seats.

We chose Tom Yum and Chicken soup base.

We could not wait to start on the food as we were really hungry.

A big bowl of rice was served but we wanted to save our tummy for the rest of the food.

All the items were fresh. We asked for a refill for the mushrooms several times.

The yong tau foo items that we were not able to try because our tummy were bursting from the meat and cooked food. 

The chili crab is a signature dish in Singapore. Every time celebrities visit Singapore they always rave about the famous chilli crab. This was my first trying chili crab in Singapore and I did not like this dish at all. It was too sweet for my liking. My mother cooks really good crab so I guess I am not used to this taste. Similarly, Joleen felt the same way about the crab as well.

I had this mussel dish all by myself. Firstly, the mussels were really fresh. However, the sauce was a little sweet but the more you eat the spicier it gets due to the black pepper.

This fried food platter is really good. I must say one of the best chicken satay I have ever tasted. Well seasoned and tender. Although the mutton/beef satay tasted good I felt like I was chewing on gum. The ebi, crab meat and scallops were all really good and fresh.

I love cereal prawns and this dish was an absolute pleasure. The manager told us that it is a popular dish and I totally understood when I had my first bite. Cereal prawns should be eaten hot with it's skin.

We had several refills and by the time it came to dessert we were too full. For desserts they only had 4 basic flavors of ice-cream and I am not complaining for the lack of variety because I would have been able to try them all.

Overall, my first dine in experience was an absolute pleasure. Both the soups and cooked food tasted really good with the exception of the chili crab. But I must really mention the excellent service. I am very particular when it comes to service and I was impressed with the service. The manager personally served us and he constantly checked if we had enough food.He told us that the tour groups frequently visits the place. The place is big enough to cater for big gatherings for friends and family. There is also a private room if you plan to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries there.

The best part is the affordable price for all these amazing food and service we got. Also, the price is the same during public holidays! How amazing is that?

Adult: $23.50 nett

Child (3 – 12yrs old) : $12.80nett

Student: $20 nett

If you have NTUC link card, you get an additional 10% off your total bill. Personally, I felt that it was really worth it. 

Royal Kublai Khan

Steamboat Buffet & Seafood Restaurant

175 Bencoolen Street

#01-56 Burlington Square

Singapore 189649

For reservations please call:

68362389

Website: http://kublaikhanbbq.com/royalkublaikhan/

You can walk from Bugis Mrt or Dhoby Ghaut Mrt.

Steamboat buffet is what you need in this cold and chilly weather. Visit the place with your close friends or families to celebrate this wonderful year!

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ButterScotch Cafe

Hello everyone!

Now that my holidays are here, I've been catching up on my social life as much as possible. It had been long since I last met up with Roslina so we met up for dinner. I realized I have not done a post on food places in a while so I thought of dining in somewhere we've never been before.

Recently I heard about this new cafe that was opened at Bukit Merah Central and I was thrilled to try them out upon hearing their name. It is walking distance from Bukit Merah Bus Interchange.

ButterScotch Cafe is a muslim-owned business. However, they do not have a halal certification. 

We managed to get a table despite the small space. I guess people must have decided to just snuggle up at home on a rainy Tuesday night.

Ambiance is one of the important factors I consider when dining out. I must say I really liked the design concept of the store. Although the cafe is really small, it gave a very cozy feel for the customers.

We were greeted by a friendly waiter and he informed us what was not available before we could decide on our orders. Maybe it was the time or the day that we went but quite a few times were not available. Most of the cakes were already sold out which goes to show the popularity of the desserts. We decided to get a side, main and dessert to share as it was our first time there. Roslina and I could not stop talking about the pretty wooden wall design.

Truffle Fries ($8)

Please do not be shocked when I say that it was my first time eating truffle fries. One reason is that I could not find a halal cafe that sells truffle fries in Singapore. I could not contain my excitement when I saw this on the menu. I like my fries without salt and this was suited to my taste with the a little garlic and Parmesan flavor. It was a perfect meal starter for our growling tummy on a cold night. I cannot judge how good the truffle fries is based on my first experience.

Crab Cake Burger ($14)

Let me tell you guys, this was an absolute pleasure. The patty was made from real crab which made it really soft. The patty was seasoned well with herbs as well. The bread was a great complement to the patty. Roslina could not stop raving about this dish. Among the other 3 mains (chicken chop/Ramly meets Wendy burger/something else I can't remember) this is definitely worth a try.

ButterScotch Souffle ($14)

The first thing that caught my eye in the menu was the Butterscotch soufflé. I have a weakness for anything that has butterscotch, salted caramel or honeycomb. I was really excited to try this particular dish. It was served together with butterscotch ice-cream and chocolate sauce, 3 of my favorite things all in one plate. 

We tried them individually and the soufflé was an absolute delight. I am not able to describe it in words because all that came out of my mouth upon tasting it was "mmmhhhmmmhmmhmmmhh" (I'm serious). However, the ice-cream was a disappointment. Firstly, it was not very sweet and it had a weird after taste. Both the chocolate sauce and ice-cream did not complement the soufflé. The soufflé tastes really good on its own.

We spent a total of $39.80 for 2 people. Personally I felt that the price is reasonable given their huge portions. However, I find the menu a little limited in terms of choices. But given that it is fairly new, I guess they are still trying to expand their menu. Great ambiance for a catch up with an old friend. 

Location:

Blk 164

Bukit Merah Central

#01-3625

Singapore 150164

Opening hours:

Tues – Sunday

8.30 am – 10 pm

Facebook

I would definitely return to this place again to have their soufflé and their other desserts. Especially during this cold rainy season, it's a great time to have a serving of hot butterscotch soufflé.

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Best Personal Blender for Smoothies

Hello everyone!

We can't deny how unpredictable the weather in Singapore can be. One moment it is raining and the next moment it is so sunny. But no matter how hot or chilly the weather is, one thing I enjoy having is some cold smoothie. 

As this is the fasting month, my mum and I like preparing some drinks for the family when we break our fast when the sun sets. Today, it is not gonna be a post on diy or recipe but it is a post to introduce this awesome personal blender that would come in really handy at any time of the day or season. 

TADA! Introducing the Naturai Personal Blender (NPB600i).

PS: The background was too crowded so I edited it. *winks*

This is how the packaging looks like. It comes in 2 different colours, green and red. This was a gift from my aunt and she got me the green one and I'm really loving the whole look.

Some details of the product that is found on the packaging.

It's been a week since my aunt got me this personal blender and I finally decided to use it today. My dad's friend had sent some mangoes from India and let me tell you mangoes from India got to be the best. Whenever the season comes we get a box full of them have mango feast that will last for about 2-3 weeks. So, my mum wanted to cut them but realized it was too soft. boooo!

That's when we decided to make a smoothie and finally check out the blender.

It comes in 2 different sizes, 600ml and 300ml. All you have to do is put in any fruits or vegetables of your choice.

If you like add some milk and honey for a creamy taste. I do not have an exact measurement, I just poured according to my feel. I was using low fat milk.

Then you fasten the blending blade to the bottle and place it on the machine.

This is the most simple step. Just hold the pulse button until the ingredients are fully combined. I think the whole product looks too cute.

The best part about this product is that you do not have to transfer it to another glass or bottle to chill it in the fridge.

Simply replace the blending tool cap with the bottle cap. Doesn't that make your life so much easier?

This blender is specially for making smoothies or juices and not for designed to blend any meat, dough or mashed potatoes. I have been using the blender that my mum uses to make sauces and chutney to make smoothies. It is rather inconvenient because of the extra washing so that the remaining traces of the spices won't stick to my smoothie ingredients. 

I was really happy and grateful that my aunt got this for my as I have been saving to get this blender that I saw in Tangs. If I am not wrong, I saw it for $80 but I must say it is a reasonable price because of the whole concept and convenience. Moreover, it comes in 2 different sizes allowing you to make 2 different smoothies at the same time with minimal time and water wastage. If you are staying in Singapore, look out for any sale from John Little/Tangs/Robinsons because I am sure they will be selling it at a cheaper price. Plus it comes with a 1-year warranty.

I found this user manual online just in case you couldn't understand how this works. 

Click here for user manual. 

Click here for pricing details.

If you are staying outside of Singapore, I found some similar machines that can be found in Target or Amazon.com. Check out the links below.

Oster Personal Blender

Tribest Personal Blender

I would like to mention that no one paid me to do this. Even though I am using it for the first time, I personally felt that this was an adorable and useful product that people would enjoy using because of its convenience. 

Update (6 October 2013): I have been using this blender for about 3 months already. Although usage is not high, it is working really well for me and the multi-purpose function is still so awesome!

If you were to travel and wanted to bring a smoothie making machine, this would definitely be an ideal choice. It is also a great gift idea for your loved ones or anyone who loves making smoothies. 

So, get yourself one now and make some smoothies!

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Riverwalk Tandoor, Landmark Village Hotel

Hello everyone! I feel so guilty for not updating this blog as regularly as I wanted to. To be honest, there are lots of things I want to share but due to the lack of good quality photographs I had to delay my posts (yes, I know it's not a very good reason)

Back to topic, it was my bestfriend Roslina's 20th birthday and we wanted to celebrate somewhere nice. Without fail, I usually go for buffet whenever there's a celebration. That being said, we did go for a lunch buffet at Riverwalk Tandoor. If you have not heard of this restaurant, just a quick background information. From the name "Tandoor" you would be able to tell it's a North Indian Buffet. They have a total of 4 outlets (click on the link for more information). We decided to go to Landmark Village Hotel which is located opposite Raffles Hospital at Victoria Street, mainly because Nazreen had been there before. The restaurant is not halal-certified because they serve alcoholic drinks upon request but their ingredients used are halal so not to worry!

Just a few irrelevant snapshots of us.

It is located on the 5th level of the building and it has both an outdoor and indoor setting. I love how it looks classy and posh inside.

They did not have a wide selection of items, but they had the common North Indian Dishes. 

Our spread for round 1. We wanted to taste in small amounts before selecting our favourite dishes to have with the naan. (yummy!)

I was pleasantly surprised that they had mushroom soup in the appetizer and salad corner. I was definitely excited because I absolutely love mushrooms and it is always nice to start with soup. But I was rather disappointed with this dish because the garlic in the soup was overpowering and the soup watery for my liking. Always stick to Indian dishes in an Indian Buffet. 

When you go to a North Indian restaurant, you cannot leave without eating the naan. Garlic and Butter naan are my favourite type of naans but this one was not great but it was nice and went really well with the dishes. From the visible oil you can tell it is hot from the kitchen.

Everything on this plate was an absolute delight. Eat it either with the rice or naan because it can get a tiny bit salty as you slowly fill your tummy. As an Indian myself I should be accustomed to the amount of salt they use in dishes, but too much is never good.

I expected the garlic fish to have an overpowering garlic taste but to my surprise, it tasted really nice with the naan and the saffron rice. They had used a boneless fish fillet and the sauce was neither too thick nor too watery. The mutton has got to be one of my favourites. I love mutton and it had the right amount of spices and the meat was really tender. As much as I love this version, I still think my mum's mutton dishes are the best. hahaha

The tandoori chicken was a slight disappointment. It was dry and not fresh because I could taste the meaty taste (blame it on my sensitive taste buds) but it was not too bad if you dip it in the mint sauce.

Credits to Roslina for this pretty picture. Photoception? *winks*

Finally, the dessert section. These were the 3 items that they had. It was so refreshing to have really sweet watermelon especially on a hot day. The Gulab Jamun was really sweet and I would prefer it to be softer.  I don't enjoy rice puddings, always thought it was weird and this version didn't change my mind. But Roslina and Nazreen liked it. 

That's an irrelevant picture of me trying pose. hahaha, ...

This is the outdoor setting which and I am sure it will look amazing if you were to come for dinner.

It even has a pool! Awwww, can you imagine how romantic it will be at night? 

The total bill came up to about $52.60 for 3 people. Overall, it was a good experience in Riverwalk Tandoor and the service was excellent, something that I am particular about. The food quality and taste was reasonable for the price we paid. Plus, the ambiance looked posh for the amount that we had paid. One downside was that the food was not warm enough. Nonetheless, If you're looking for a cheap North Indian Buffet, Riverwalk Tandoor is the place for you. 

*They do offer catering services. I first heard about them from my aunt because her workplace had ordered from them for Deepavali Celebrations.

Website: http://www.riverwalktandoor.com.sg

It's always great to hang out with these girls. I tried out something new for Roslina's birthday. She said "NO GIFTS" so I made a little something which I am so excited to show you guys. I hope you will check this page regularly even though I take ages to update. Have great day guys!

PS: Most of the photos were taken using Roslina's Canon DSLR, can't remember the model. It made me want to use mine. I've been neglecting my Nikon D3100 for a while now. booo me.

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