Saboten

<Curry Pork Loin Katsu> 

First time trying out Saboten's curry rice. The curry was decent, good consistency and not too sweet. And of course the Pork Loin Katsu was good as usual. Batter was light and crispy with the pork succulent.

<Ebi Variety Set>

This was a promotional menu. Not sure if they have it. But definitely worth a try. It has Ebi Katsu which was filled with a generous amount of succulent shrimps. It has pork and asparagus Katsu that oozes cheesy goodness as well as a tasty but filling croquette.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $18 to $30
Overall - Try it!

Address
80 Airport Boulevard, #031-004 Departure Check-in Hall Level 3, Changi Airport Terminal 1, Singapore

Opening Hours
8am to 10.30pm

Duri Durian Desserts

 <Durian Pancakes>

A cold version of durian pancakes, I last ate this in Malaysia and I'm so glad that it is finally in Singapore. The pancakes are really thin and fresh. But the main draw is the fresh durian flesh wrapped within it. It is seriously aromatic and a must try for durian lovers. Remember to eat it when you first buy it! It doesn't taste that nice after being left in the fridge for a day though. They do sell other durian desserts such as puffs, cakes and... erm.. was it mousse or pudding. Haha

Verdict
Ambience - N.A
Food - Good
Cost - $4 to $10
Overall - Try it!

Address
Tampines Mall, Top floor. (In between Long John's Silver and Texas Chicken)

Opening Hours
11am to 9pm

Loots of the Day!

Alright, this post is a little different from the rest. It isn't a food review at any eatery in particular, but rather,  all the goodies I bought in a single day out, from different stores in Singapore. So I'm just going to entitle this post "Loots of the Day!"

From left to right:
Lychee Wine
Bought at Nippon-Ya in Ion Orchard. With only 3% alcohol, it should be suitable for the lightest of drinkers. What's more, it states that it is for beauty and packed with collagen, or so claimed by the salesgirl. The smell of the wine was simply alluring. The smell of lychee just rushes into your senses and knocks you over. However, the taste was so-so when you take a sip. The lychee taste dissipates too quickly for my liking.

Harajuko Chocolate Mochi
Also purchased at Nippon-Ya. Believe it or not, but I have been searching for this chocolate mochi for as long as 3 years. I last ate it as a gift from my mother-in-law's friend. I totally fell in love with it. Eating it again now absolutely satisfied my desire to get my hands on it. The texture of the mochi and the taste of the chocolate is simply divine. Oh, do remember to chill it before eating. Tastes best this way!

Mast Brothers Chocolate
Got these 2 bars of chocolate from the newly-opened Dean and Deluca store at Orchard Central. Heard about them from a friend that they too, use single origin cocoa beans in the making of their chocolate. I must say they were a little too acidic for my liking. I will probably stick to my favourites, Valrhona and Michel Cluizel.

Valrhona Porcelana
2 words for it - Simply Divine. A must-try for dark chocolate lovers!

The House of Robert Timms

<Pavlova with Strawberry Ice-Cream >

This has to be the first Pavlova I had in my life. After watching numerous Australian and New Zealand gourmet shows and the debate over who actually invented it first, there was no way I was going to pass this up. Robert Timms actually serves up quite a hefty amount of hearty authentic Australian dishes even though they are better known for their coffee. However, my wife and I were there, just for this sweet little thing. Haha! Okayz, the Pavlova was not too bad. The crust was perfectly crispy, but I wished the centre was a little more chewy. The macerated cherries were a good complement for the decently sweet sugary goodness. However, the letdown had to be the strawberry icecream. It paled in comparison to the quality of its larger cousin beside it. Overall, YUMS!

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Try it!

Address
Orchard Shopping Centre, Ground Floor. (Beside 313 Somerset)

Opening Hours
11am to 11pm

Haato & Co

<Royal Chocolate and Durian Ice Cream>

Heard from my wife whose friend told her this was as good as U.D.D.E.R.S, so I just had to try it. Ordered the good old chocolate and durian flavours so that I could compare them to my favourites from U.D.D.E.R.S. I must say that although the ice cream was nice, I was disappointed with the taste. The chocolate wasn't intense enough, it was pretty bland and quick to dissipate from my mouth. The durian was alright, quite similar to the D24 flavour from U.D.D.E.R.S but paled in comparison to their Mao Shan Wang. There is however, one bright spark. Haato's ice cream has a chewy gelato-ness to it, really really nice.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $5 to $8
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Ion Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn Unit B4-81/82/83
http://www.haato.com.sg

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm

Bali Thai

 <Young Coconut Drink>

Fresh, sweet and refreshing! A really good drink to douse the fiery Thai food we had, haha.

 <Tahu Telur>

Not a bad rendition of the traditional Malay/Indonesian dish. The toufu was generous and tasty. The accompanying sauce was also decent. Best to have at least 3 to 4 people sharing it.

 <Minced Pork with Basil>

A traditional Thai dish available in all Thai restaurants. If you can't take the heat, this dish could be one that you might want to try. It is probably considered one of the mildest versions I've tried. Overall, the dish was fragrant. Didn't disappoint at all.

<Thai Fish Cakes>

Tasty, fragrant and full of spice. One of my favourite Thai dishes of all time. Bali Thai serves up a decent version of it.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Good
Cost - $10 to $20
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5
#04-01
Singapore 529510
http://www.katrinahldgs.com/restaurants.html

Opening Hours
11.30am to 10pm

Gurney Drive

<Cheese Tofu>

This must be my 4th or 5th time at Gurney Drive since it opened its doors in Century Square, Tampines. Had been wanting to try this dish for quite a long time and I finally got to taste it. Well, I was quite disappointed to be honest. It is quite hard to put words to it, but it felt like it came right out from a supermarket's frozen section.

<Char Koay Teow>

This is probably one of the poorest dishes I've had so far. It was bland and devoid of ingredients. Only 2 prawns and a few pieces of fishcake. (I've requested to remove the cockles.) Please do not try it at all!

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $7 to $15
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Century Square
2 Tampines Central 5, #04-11/12, Singapore 529509
http://www.gurneydrive.com.sg/

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm

King Louis Grill and Bar

 <Potato Wedges>

Enough to serve at least 3 hungry adults. The wedges came in a huge amount for a decent price. Generally it was okay, nothing much to rave about except that it was good.

<Queen's Meat and Seafood Banquet>

Hohoho! The serving was humongous! There were steak, ribs, king prawns, snapper fillet, scallops and a bed of roasted potatoes. A dish befitting of its name, it definitely can fill up the stomach of 5 ravaging adults. The highlight of the dish was the ribs. Although they are not as moist as I would like them to be, they were really flavourful. You can taste the smokey goodness and the BBQ sauce was great! The downside was the snapper fillet. Seriously over-done to the extent that it could probably bounce up if thrown, coupled with the fact that it tasted fishy. Overall, a good dish to share with friends.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Average
Cost - $10 to $25
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
1 HarbourFront Walk, #03-07A VivoCity

Opening Hours
12pm to 10pm

Gurney Drive

 <Penang Lor Bak>

Otherwise more commonly known as Ngoh Hiang in Singapore. This dish basically consists of chicken wrapped in beancurd sheet. It was decent. The chicken was succulent, marinade tasty and the beancurd sheet fried to crispy perfection. A good way to start off a meal.

<Penang Koay Teow Soup>

Wanted something light on my many visits to Gurney Drive. And thus, I ordered this bowl of soup noodles. The soup was light but tasty. Fish balls and fish cakes were fresh and springy. What bothered me were the pieces of chicken. There were so little of it that it seemed redundant to the dish.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Good
Cost - $7 to $15
Overall - Worth a try.

Address
Century square
2 Tampines Central 5, #04-11/12, Singapore 529509
http://www.gurneydrive.com.sg/

Opening Hours
11am to 10pm