Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Toothsome Cafe

Toothsome Cafe is set up by the people behind 8Tarts N Pastries which zq told me. No wonder there were brochures of 8Tarts N Pastries on the side of the tables.

Sweet Potato Fries ($3.90). I like the sweet potato fries, sweet and salty. It is denser and less crispy then regular potato fries. But I think it's more worth it then the regular potato fries that the sell at the same price.

Wagyu Beef Burger ($12,90)- Premium Wagyu Beef w lettuce, tomato n cheese served with fries. Choices of Sesame Bun OR Charcoal Bun OR Multigrain Bun. I chose the Charcoal bun which had lots sesame seeds on both the top and bottom of the bun. The beef was a little tough and dry and could use a lot more seasoning (maybe like salt). I like soggy fries but the type of soggy fries served here was not to my liking. For the positives, I like the wooden cutting board they use to serve the dish and the fact that you would be full from eating this burger.

This is a good place for families with little kids as there as toys corner where kids can play and occupy themselves while parents have a  more peaceful meal.

Rate:
Sweet Potato Fries: 7/10 ☺
Wagyu Beef Burger: 5/10 ☺

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar

Fatcat Ice Cream Bar is not your usual ice cream shop. Here they offer not only waffles and ice cream but also plated desserts that you would get in a fine dinning restaurant. But there is a limited portion to those plated dessert.

Gourmet Waffles ($6 without ice cream, $10.50 with ice cream)- Charcoal waffle with salted caramel sauce, lavender and salted egg yolk sauce. I had the butterbeer ice cream with mine. You could taste the alcohol in it, sweet and a slight bitter aftertaste. The salted caramel was really salty which was good as it helped balanced the sweetness. The salted egg yolk sauce together with the waffles tasted like Liu Sha Bao(salted egg yolk bun) in a good way. The lavender had a perfume-y taste. Overall it was good.

Nia ordered the Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake ($15)- cinnamon shortbread crumble, popping candy, compressed strawberries, frozen raspberries, cinnamon cream cheese mousse, yogurt form and raspberry sorbet. Nia got surprise when she ate the crumble as her mouth inside was making popping sounds and she gave us try. It was really fun to experience eating the popping candy again. Not to sure about the whole dessert cause I don't really understand deconstructed dessert but Nia seemed to enjoy her dessert. Also, this dessert came with a pre-dessert!

The Pre-Dessert- Watermelon granita and something else that I forgot. Could really taste the watermelon flavor from the granita which was good. Didn't manage to try the other one cause Nia ate it all. But she said it was good.

 I'm glad I finally managed to visit Fatcat after a long time of wanting to try their gourmet waffle. Glad I did as I got to experience another side of dessert.

Rate:
Gourmet Waffles: 8/10 ☺
Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake: 7/10 ☺
Pre-Dessert: 7.5/10 ☺

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Din Tai Fung (Bishan)

Din Tai Fung was founded in Taiwan by Bingyi Yang. They started off selling cooking oil in 1958 but was revamped into a steamed dumpling cum noodle restaurant a few years later. The Din Tai Fung in Singapore is a franchise operated by BreadTalk Group that aims to bring guests the complete Taiwan dining experience.

We got a table, was offered Hot Chinese Tea ($1) and began ordering our food. Original Hot & Sour Soup, Regular ($8)- Sour, spicy and savoury notes, combined with a smooth, comforting texture, make this classic Chinese soup a perennial hit, stimulating the palate for dishes ahead. We added vinegar to the soup. The soup tasted like shark fin soup. It was warm, acidic, slightly spicy, thick and chunky with all the ingredients inside. My parents and I like the soup.

Steamed Pork Dumplings, 10 pcs ($9.80)- Steamed pork dumplings or xiao long baos traditionally contain minced pork wrapped in a delicate dough skin, which is then pleated, twisted at the top and steamed. Din Tai Fung’s signature rendition consists of juicy meat filling wrapped in a melt-in-your-mouth skin with a minimum of 18 exquisite folds. The must have item for most people who dine at Din Tai Fung. Smooth thin dumpling skin filled with juicy meat filling. I think people order this as it is fun to eat it.

Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs ($11.50)- An extremely popular dish, the ingredients are pared down to simple rice, shrimps, eggs, and spring onions, creating a taste of familiar comfort. Each plate is of a certain weight and minimal seasoning is used so that the natural fragrance of the eggs and spring onions shines through. Seasoning was really minimal, wished there were more. That said, the rice was fragrant like what the description said. The tastiest part was the prawn- sweet, juicy and tasty.

Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop ($10.80). Fried rice with our signature fried pork chop marinated with complex spices. Somehow, the fried rice for the pork chop one had lesser seasoning than the shrimp one. Maybe it;s because the pork is more flavorful so to balance it they season the rice lesser. The pork was well fried, tender and tasty.

Rice Dumpling with flavored Pork ($6)- Filled with succulent pork steeped in our secret marinade recipe and stuffed within tender top grade glutinous pearl rice for a soft and chewy texture. Tasted like bak zhang except that it was slightly less flavorful and did not had the pandan taste since it was not wrapped in it.

Din Tai Fung has a Chinese banquet feel to it with the decor and the service staff uniform. I wouldn't mind coming back for their hot and sour soup.

Rate:
Original Hot & Sour Soup: 8.5/10 ☺
Steamed Pork Dumplings: 7/10 ☺
Fried Rice with Shrimps & Eggs: 8/10 ☺
Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop: 7.5/10 ☺
Rice Dumpling with flavored Pork: 5/10 ☺

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Mr Bean (SGH)

Was at Singapore General Hospital visiting my uncle with my parents. After our visit we saw Mr Bean and decided to buy some ice cream and pancakes.

At Mr Bean they offer soya bean related drinks and snack using non-GMO soya beans.

Bought their Soya Ice Cream ($1.60). I like how it is mildly sweet and taste richly of soya beans (duh!). Makes me feel healthier. It's my mom's favorite! They also have the ice cream in a cup which cost $1.90 if I'm not wrong.

Also got Mr Bean Pancake, Cheese ($1.60). Warm, thick and soft batter with savory cheese in the middle.

Rate:
Soya Ice Cream: 8/10 ☺
Mr Bean Pancake, Cheese: 6/10 ☺