Quality Cafe – Presenting Quality Authentic Asian Buffet

Popiah Station

Quality Cafe at Quality Hotel Marlow are renowned by supper lovers in Singapore as a place to go for Taiwan Porridge Buffet. However, don't be misled by the name of Taiwan Porridge Buffet, expect to see buffet dishes to fill your stomach.

Helmed by Chef Donald Sai, with more than 27 years experience in F&B industry, Quality Cafe launched Authentic Asian Buffet for lunch. This buffet consist of many popular local dishes such as laksa, popiah, chicken rice, roast duck, cereal prawn, steamed sea bass with olive, otah and lots more from soup to desserts.

To start, I recommend you start with popiah. Popiah is a Hokkien style type of spring roll, where the skin are made thinly from sticky soft dough. The skin here is very moist and soft, with the right thickness. The vegetables, sweet sauce and chilli is well balance. The fillings is not wet and the crush peanuts gave the crunchy texture. The best part, there is chef stationed there to make sure you get the best popiah every time.

Popiah

Next is the bowl of Laksa. The ingredients here is very simple. Rice noodle, bean sprout, fish cake, boiled eggs, the laksa gravy, laksa leaf and chilli. The gravy has is quite thick and full of coconut flavour. In Peranakan terms, the lemak is quite shiok. Simple but delicious.

Laksa Station

Laksa

For main meal, the chicken rice here is a must try. The rice if fragrant and flavourful. The rice cooked to al-dente with a good chicken stock. The chicken is quite tender especially the thigh part, however the breast can be a bit though. The plus side, they also Thai Chicken Feet. Rather than chicken feet, it is more like the skin from the chicken feet. It is crunchy and springy in texture. The marination is just right for my palate, not overly spicy. They also provide the full condiments such as chilli, ginger juice, dark soy sauce and acar (spicy pickled cucumber)

Thai Chicken Feet & Steam Chicken

The Condiments

Chicken Rice ++

Some dishes to accompany the chicken rice is their Otah and Roast Duck. The Otah is the Chef Special Dish and made in house in Quality Cafe's kitchen. It has a nice texture, smooth and resilient at the same time. It can be slightly salty, which Chef Donald mention is due to the Thai Chilli Paste. The roast duck has a nice crispy skin and the meat is very tender.

Otah & Roast Duck

For fish lover, they serve a huge steam sea bass with dried turnip (cai bo). The sea bass is quite huge, about 50 cm long. The cooking method and olive really bring out the taste of sea bass. However, as it is left in the bain marie, the steam fish slowly become over cook and harden. The frog leg that are fried with spring onion and ginger here is also quite huge. It is one of the biggest size frog leg I ever see. I heard that the more frog legs you eat, the stronger your leg become in swimming.

Steam Sea Bass with Turnip

Frog Leg

Like many buffet places, there are some dishes that not up to standard. In this case, I would not suggest the Char Kway Teow, or any of their deep fried stuff.

If you have enough of your fill, time to move on to desserts. Build your won Cendol or Ice Kacang is available. You can choose your own ingredients to create your Singapore cold desserts just the way you like it. Or you can choose from range of peranakan desserts or goreng pisang with your coffee or tea.

Little Devil's Chendol

Peranakan Desserts

The service staff here is very attentive and efficient to clear the dirty plates from your table. During our weekday lunch here, the cafe is pretty packed.

Overall, if you are looking for quality buffet of Singapore local food, you can give Quality Cafe a try. The price is very reasonable and you can get the authentic Singaporean food. See the brochure below for more details. Cheers!!

Thank you Faith and Quality Cafe team for the food tasting invitation.

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Quality Cafe

201 Balestier Road

Quality Hotel Marlow

Level 1.

Singapore 329926

Tel: 6233 6363

Website: http://qualityhotelmarlow.com.sg/dining/quality-cafe

Op Hours:

Lunch 11.30 – 14.30 Daily

Dinner 18.00 – 20.00 Daily

Supper 20.30 – 00.30 Daily

[CLOSED] Togi – Authentic Korean Restaurant in Chinatown

                Mul Naeng Myen (Cold Noodle with beef)

Togi @ Temple Street is one of the early established Korean Restaurant owned and run by Korean owner. Located in the heritage shop houses along temple street, this restaurant has been serving authentic Korean food since 2008.

When it come to Korean food, it is Little Devil's ('LD') area of expertise. To be honest, if you ask me what cuisine do I want to eat, Korean is the last thing that come to my mind. Not to say that I don't enjoy Korean food. I like Korean BBQ and their beef soup. Other than that. I find the options are quite limited for me as I am not very keen on spicy food.

The unlimited side dishes

[CLOSED] Daikokuya Ramen Dining – Tonkatsu or Shoyu Ramen ??

Cha Shu Shoyu Ramen

In the last few years, it seems that a lot of Ramen House sprouting around in Singapore. The positive side of this, we are getting more quality ramen sold in Singapore, and is satisfying LD's cravings for good quality ramen that she had tasted in Hawaii. Daikokuya Ramen is one of the new ramen shop that open in recent years and offers a variety of regional ramen specialities such as Sapporo, Tokyo & Kyushu-style ramen in a contemporary and relaxing atmosphere.

Located at the entrance of myVillage in Serangoon Garden, the store can be consider small as it only can accommodate less then 30 customers. The surrounding glass wall allowed passerbys to check out the delicious food served in the shop. However, this glass wall also works to the disadvantage of the shop. The shop location seems to bear the brunt of direct afternoon sunlight and turn the temperature inside the shop up. The central aircon is insufficient to cool down the dining area which we experience during our visit.

For ramen, I normally like my soup base to be solid and robust, therefore Tonkatsu Cha Shu Ramen ($15.90) was my pick. The ramen is springy (QQ) and the Cha Shu, although it is quite lean, it turns to be very tender and flavourful. It shows that the Cha Shu has gone through a long cooking process and well marinated. The broth has a white milky colour, thick with a sticky collagen feeling coming out from the bones.

Tonkatsu Cha Shu Ramen 

On the other hand, Little Devil ('LD') prefer a more clear type of soup. So she decided on Cha Shu Shoyu Ramen ($15.80). The broth is much lighter compare to mine, more like a clear soup, however the shoyu (soy sauce) give the broth a distinct flavour. The ramen texture are consistent, al dente and springy (qq), while the Cha Shu is tender and flavourful

Cha Shu Shoyu Ramen

For side dish, we ordered Mentaimayo Gyoza and Leek Mayo Gyoza ($6.80 each). Both the gyoza nicely pan fried until crispy on the outside. I find that Japanese Gyoza normally has a stronger taste from the leek. The good thing about Mentaimayo Gyoza, it has salted cod roe toppings and mayonnaise that helps to cover the smell and give a nice salty creamy flavour.

Leek Mayo Gyoza

Mentaimayo Gyoza

The service here is quite minimum. Although there are not many customer, it seems that the service staff is having problem clearing the table quick enough for the next round of customers and always slow in handling the customer order. Improvement is definitely needed in this area.

Overall, we find the ramen here is good and consistent. However, it seems to be missing something to elevate the ramen to the next level. Avoid visiting this place during a hot afternoon, unless you like to enjoy your bowl of ramen while you're sweating. However on any other time, Daikokuya will be sufficient to satisfy your ramen cravings. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 5/10

Ambiance: 6/10

Daikokuya Ramen Dining

1 Maju Ave

#01-01. my Village @ Serangoon Garden

Singapore 556679

Tel: 6509 1690

Website: http://www.daikokuya.com.sg/ (not working)

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

Op Hours: Daily 11.30 – 22.00

For Other Branches, check out their Facebook Page.

Note: Photos are taken using LD's Samsung Note 1. 

Fatboy's The Burger Bar – Burgerlicious!!

Fatboy's The Burger Bar ('Fatboy') is a home grown burger chain, founded with the promise of bringing burger evolution to Singapore burger lovers. In the recent years, Singaporeans palate for burgers has evolve due to the exposure of many top notch artisan burgers. We are no longer satisfied with ordinary fast food chains burgers, we expect, NO! we DEMAND better quality burgers.

Filling the gap between upmarket artisan burgers and fast food burgers is Fatboy. Fatboy offered reasonable priced burgers; different type of patties such as chicken, lamb and beef; and best of all freedom to build your own burger. In short, the menu in Fatboy is similar to typical American Diners, of course with a slight 'naughty' local twist included.

BYO Burger (Build Your Own Burger)

As I was not that hungry that night, I ordered Wimpy Beef ($11.50). This is actually a single patty version of their best creation Fat Basterd. The chuck patties are topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, a fried egg and homemade BBQ sauce. The patty is thick and juicy. The bacon and fried egg gave a different texture to the burger and the BBQ sauce just provide a nice finish. The burger has the nice thickness to hold with both hands and bit it. Delicious!!

Wimpy Beef 

Each burger are served with thick fries, and only a single slice of tomato and lettuce leaf. The fries crispy and moist inside, however the portion is quite small and tasted quite ordinary. The tomato and lettuce is merely there for decoration, I hope they can actually give more salad for a more balance presentation instead of looking quite stingy on the plate.

Meanwhile, Little Devil had Swiss Shroom ($13). Fatboy use sauteed shitake mushrooms instead the normal portabello, melted Swiss cheese, with garlic aioli to accompany healthier whole meal bun. The patty is thick and juicy, the shitake mushrooms gave a stronger mushroom flavour and the garlic aioli just bind the whole ingredients together. For the heat, LD add jalapeno to the burger and pickles to balance the richness in the burger. Yummyyy !!

Swiss Shroom 

To add some healthy veggies to complement our burger, we decided to order Chicken Caeser Salad ($11.50). The Romaine Lettuce is just fresh and crisp. The chicken fillet is flavourful, juicy and succulent. The Caesar dressing is lighter than the usual, however it just provide a light and refreshing salad.

Chicken Caeser Salad

One item in a drink that get our approval is Lemon Lime and Bitter. Although it came in the bottled Bundaberg from the Australian manufacturer, we are just glad we had something refreshing to enjoy with our burger.

Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitter

The atmosphere in Fatboy is very casual. They have TVs that is showing the EPL games, so it is a good destination when the games are on during the weekend. Service is very minimum and inconsistent between the each service staff. It seems that they are more a part timer, which lack the proper service training. Luckily Fatboy does not charge customer for service.

Eyes on the TV

Overall, Fatboy deliver a good, solid and flavourful burgers. Based on the food that we have tasted so far, the rest of the items on the menu should be quite good. If you can ignore the inconsistent of their service level, Fatboy is the place to go for good-priced American Diner food. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: 5/10

Ambiance: 7/10

FatBoy's The Burger Bar
187 Upper Thompson Road

Singapore 574335

T: +65 6252 8780
W: http://www.fatboys.sg 
F: https://www.facebook.com/FatboysUpperThomson/ 

OH: Daily 12.00 – 23.00

Previous Location reviewed:

465 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427677

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee – Legendary Bak Chor Mee

Mince Meat Noodle - Bak Chor Mee

Ah Kow Mushroom Minced Pork Mee (Bak Chor Mee - “BCM”) is one of the first hawkers that was awarded Singapore Hawker Legends by Makansutra in collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board to acknowledge the contributions and dedications of Hawkers to their craft and perfection of their dishes.

[CLOSED] The Orange Lantern – Nice Comfort Food During Rainy Day.

Orange Lantern came to our attention recently when a friend of ours post it up in FB on his dining encounter there. When we see the size of the bowl they serve for the Pho, we decided we need to give this place a try.

Located in Killiney Road, finding a parking spot can be quite a challenge. This time around we were lucky and we manage to get a spot just outside the restaurant. We went on one Saturday afternoon, after the busy lunch hour, and the heavy rain just subsided.

Decorated in bright orange, similar to its name, you will easily notice this place from far away. When we walk in to the restaurant, we are the only customers inside. The modern orange decoration created a welcoming warmth atmosphere. The proudly display Vietnamese ornaments allow you to experience the Vietnamese culture.

For starter, we ordered the Prawn Paper Rolls ($6.90). The vegetables such as lettuce, bean sprouts and basil leaves are crunchy and fresh, topped with sliced boiled fresh prawn. The dipping sauce, made from hoisin sauce and crushed peanuts, complement the paper rolls nicely. A good, fresh simple starter.

Prawn Paper Rolls

Special Beef Noodle Soup ($11.90), sliced beef, brisket and beef balls with Vietnamese flat noodle in fragrant beef soup serve in a gigantic size bowl. This is the big-size dish that lured us here, because it brings back many memories of days in Melbourne. Behind every bowl of innocent looking clear soup, the soup of the Pho show us the dedications and love of the chef in giving their customers the comfort of a bowl of home cooked noodles. Orange Lantern's Pho is packed with a lot of beef flavour from a long and tedious boiling process of beef bones, vegetables, and special herbs and spices to bring out their unique flavour. The thinly sliced meat are tender with the pinkish texture clearly shows that it was raw and fresh when the pipping hot soup was poured into the bowl. The beef ball is springy and the brisket is mellow and tender. The combination of slightly chewy rice noodle with crunchy bean sprout is just wonderful. Yummyy, a nice comfort food during the rainy days.

Special Beef Noodle Soup

Special Beef Noodle Soup

Service was very minimum. They took our order, deliver our food and bring us the bill when requested. No fuss. The food came very fast, less than 10 minutes overall. The price is reasonable, considering the location and standard of this establishment.

Overall, we are satisfied with their rice paper roll and beef noodle soup (Pho). Although they are not the best or the most authentic Vietnamese food we have ever tried in Singapore, they had win us over with it's freshness in ingredients and full of its own unique flavour. However, if you need a quick fix of Pho, this is a place to go. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 6.5/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 7.5/10

The Orange Lantern

Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

73 Killiney Road

Singapore 239528

Tel: 6732 8032

Website: 

Op Hours: Daily 11.00 – 22.00

Other Branch:

1 Maritime Square

#01-98 Harbour Front Centre

Singapore

Tel: 6274 1968

Op Hours: Daily 11.00 – 22.00

I am … - Cakes & Mocktails

Chendol Cake & Rainbow Cake

I am … is a café / bistro that just recently open near the popular Arab Street. Located off Haji Lane, facing the Golden Landmark Hotel. The founders' idea of I am are based on their love of Europe, especially Amsterdam. Thus they decided to import the atmosphere to Singapore with the concept of Halal European Influence Cafe.

We actually found this place by accident while we were looking for a place to catch up with our group of friends on a Friday night. Apparently most of the café around the area either close by 11pm or the one that open late normally serve Nargile (Turkish water pipe) which we find a turn off especially as we don't smoke.

So what attracted us to I am is that they open late, they served cakes and we also realised that they serve a extensive list of mocktails other than the regular coffee and tea based drinks. The mocktails are good for us as Little Devil and I are both on alcohol free diet temporary.

For cakes, we had Rainbow cake and Chendol Cake ($8.90 each). Rainbow cake is one of the latest trend where the cake has seven different colour / layer with cream in between. Each slice of the cake looks attractive due to the bright colour in it. The Chendol cake is an interesting concept because it incorporated the local flavour into a cake. Both cakes scored in terms of the attractiveness and color, however we find both of the cake were slightly dry. The chendol on the chendol cake has also hardened, however the taste and flavour are still good. In fairness we had the cake around 11pm and the cakes must been there from opening this morning.

Rainbow Cake

Chendol Cake

Virgin Mojito

For the mocktails we had, Virgin Mojito, Twisted Sister and Ignite Sunset ($6.90 each). The virgin mojito has a clear and refreshing look to it. The combo of mint, tangy lime and syrup on ice really deliver the freshness. The twisted sister and ignite sunset has pomegranate in the mocktails giving the effect of sunset in the glass. Both mocktails deliver a more fruity freshness in the drinks.

Twisted Sister

Ignite Sunset

Service staff is very friendly and efficient. The décor of this place is actually quite simple with a lay back and relaxing atmosphere. The square tables can be easily group together when you are in a big group of separated when you are in the smaller one.

Overall, we find “I am …” is a good place for you to catch up with your friends any time during the day. The mocktails are excellent while the cakes can be improve. Although this place is still young, it has the ingredients to be a successful café. Cheers !!!

Food: 6.5/10 ; Drinks: 8.5/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 7/10

I am …
674 North Bridge Road
(off Haji Lane)
Singapore 188804


Tel: 6295 5509
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Iamathajilane
Op Hours:
Mon – Thu: 11am - 11pm
Fri – Sat: 11am - 1am
Sun: 11am - 11pm*