Saizeriya Liang Court

Saizeriya Ristorante at Liang Court used to be one of those places which I would say serves cheap and good dishes. But now it's simply just cheap and nothing else. The prices are certainly very competitive but the quality is sorely lacking. I left the place in disappointment, wondering what on earth went wrong.

I ordered Asari Spaghetti Soup and the Oven-baked Escargots. The Asari Spaghetti Soup was bland and tasteless with no flavour at all. Granted, the serving was large and they were very generous with the clams but it was disappointing to finish a big plate of spaghetti which tasted like it was simply boiled in plain water and served. The Oven baked escargots were slightly better with the garlic flavour giving them a salty taste that went well with the fresh chewy escargots.

Service was prompt. Our food was served about five minutes after we had ordered and they were always polite. There is no GST and service charge which make the prices even more attractive. But I assure you that the only attractive part of Saizeriya is really the price and I doubt I would return again.

#02-22 Liang Court

Ikoi Japanese Restaurant

Ikoi is my favourite japanese buffet restaurant and it has never disappointed me over the years. The lunch and dinner buffet are both priced similarly at $35++ unlike other buffet restaurants which tend to have higher prices for the dinner buffets. Remember to make your reservations in advance especially if you intend to have your buffet over the weekends. My initial plan was to have the dinner buffet on a saturday but when I called 2 weeks in advance, there were only counter seats left! So I opted to feast on the recent Hari Raya public holiday instead when I was allocated a table seat for two.

The dinner buffet is separated into two seating, one starting from 6pm to 745pm and the other from 8pm to 11pm. I chose the 6pm one and we were ushered in promptly at 6pm. The appetizer of salmon sashimi in sweet sauce and edamame were already placed on the table when we entered.

The thing that impresses me time and again is the quality of Ikoi's sashimi. For a buffet at such a reasonable price, they definitely have one of the best sashimi around. We ordered three orders of salmon sashimi and one order of ika sashimi. The sashimi were very fresh, very sweet and the cuts were good.

Throughout the buffet, we ordered our usual chawanmushi, salmon shioyaki, ebi and yasai tempura, bacon and tomato roll (which was really good! I enjoyed the crisp bacon and the juicy tomato within), agedashi tofu and many others. They were all good, some better than the others but generally still good.

Ikoi buffet has this quirky tradition of serving complimentary dishes through the meal too and I am especially fond of their complimentary dishes. The dobinmushi (teapot soup) is clear and refreshing, just the right soup to indulge in halfway through a heavy meal. The salmon head steam boat was very sweet and full of flavour with some golden mushrooms and tofu inside.

My only rant for that night was the sushi rice. The sushi chef probably mixed a little too much vinegar when preparing the sushi rice so the rice grains were slightly mushy and sour. 

The other awesome dishes made up for the lack-lustre sushi though so this was still a very hearty meal for me! I will definitely come back to Ikoi Japanese Restaurant to fix my craving for japanese buffet.

As it was a special day, we drove over and parked at the hotel's car park. The hotel's car park is pretty old school and you have to wind your window down, stretch your arm out and tap your cash card on the reader.  When we exit the car park to get to the restaurant, we found ourselves at the back end of the hotel, near the staff area. Took a while to find our way eventually to the main lobby. 

#01-01 Hotel Miramar

Turi Beach Resort

I bought a Turi Beach Resort deal a while back and made the trip in July. It was a short 2D1N getaway but it was good relaxing fun.

The booking process was smooth and easy and I had both accommodation and ferry fixed quickly. On the day itself, we went to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to get our boarding passes and were on our way by 12pm! The journey was quick and when we reached Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, there was a small counter and staff to collect our return tickets and to arrange our return ferry for us. We were then led to a mini bus which took us to the resort in a short drive. 

The lobby is situated on a higher floor with the rooms on lower levels slopping down towards the beach. The view at the lobby is fantastic with a constant welcoming breeze from the sea. The check in process was quick and we were allowed early check-in much to our pleasure. 

Our rooms were on the second floor at the Tirta Wing. The room was clean and comfy except for some dubious stains on the floor and in the toilet. The view from our room was fantastic. It was an unobstructed view of the sea and the clear horizon beyond. Splendid to wake up in the morning to the sounds of crashing waves and the slight glare of the sun shining on the sea. A small balcony is attached to the room with two chairs for you to relax in while soaking in the nice atmosphere. Great sea-facing room I would say.

As you can see in the above picture, there is a long jetty leading out into the middle of the sea and that was where we went after putting down our bags. We strolled along the beach on our way to the jetty and realized that the private beach was actually quite a short stretch. The sand was not as fine and the beach was not as beautiful as those in Bintan. It was a pretty narrow stretch as compared to those in Bintan too so there was less space for people to lounge on the beach.

We could not reach the end of the jetty as half of the walkway was closed for upgrading works. Such a bummer! The walkway ended at a bar with an extended wooden platform for people to sit around and enjoy a drink while soaking in the sunset. The view of the setting sun from the bar was amazing! A deep orange slipping into the darkness. 

We had the barbecue buffet dinner at the courtyard with a live band performing through the night. My friends who had been to Turi Beach Resort previously had raved about the food especially the satay. For some reason, I was not particularly impressed by the food. The satay was dry and tasteless and the other grilled dishes were equally dry. Only the fried noodles was good and even that was not constantly good. Some servings were tasty while the others were a bit bland.

The live band on a small stage atop a sloping grass patch was good though. The singer had a fantastic voice and she did many pop songs and ballads very well. It was a good relaxing time to lean back and enjoy the music while helping myself to more food even though the food could be improved. We ordered a bottle of red wine to go with the meal and it was pure bliss to knock back a couple of glasses with such good live music in the background. 

We headed back the next day in the afternoon, well-rested and happy. It was a good trip but I do prefer Bintan for the beaches along Bintan were better and the food was tastier. Although I have to admit, the sunset at Batam was more breathtaking than the one at Bintan. Oh and the live band at Batam wins hands down too.

Turi Beach Resort

Long Phung Restaurant

This is really a hidden gem tucked in the rows of shop houses along Joo Chiat Road. Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant is casual, fuss-free and absolutely unpretentious and its food will keep you pleasantly surprised.

When I reached, I hesitated at the entrance, wondering if I should just walk in and plonk myself down or should I be waiting for someone to point me to an empty table. Since I spotted an empty table at the back of the restaurant, I simply went over and sat down. The table didn't have any menus on it so I went over to the neighboring table and grabbed a couple over for my friend and myself. I have no problem settling myself down but maybe Long Phung is not the place for you if you expect to be served from the start till the end.

We ordered Chicken Pho, Kang Kong with Garlic, Salad Rolls, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Chicken Wings. Guess it was really a lot for two girls but we do have quite a remarkable appetite thankfully. The  broth in the Chicken Pho was quite sweet and they were generous with the huge chunks of chicken and beansprouts. 

The Vietnamese Spring Rolls were good, crispy and tasty. The Salad Rolls were not really my cup of tea though. It tasted too bland even after I dipped it repeatedly into the sauces and I was not exactly fond of the salad inside. Purely personal preference though. If you are into healthy eating and salads, the salad rolls might excite you more than it did for me.

The Chicken Wings were nicely fried with crispy skins and juicy flesh. Leave it to cool for awhile before sinking your teeth into the tempting wings though. The chicken wings just out of the wok were very very hot. The Kang Kong with Garlic was normal good old stir-fried vegetables but the portion was huge! It was like a mini mountain of greens on a plate. 

All that food set us back by $31 only! No service charge and GST from what I remember but frankly I wouldn't know any better since the receipt was scrawled in Vietnamese. But still, $31 is really affordable for the spread we ordered and the large portions!

To get to Long Phung Restaurant by MRT is quite a feat since it's really far from any MRT station. I gather  that the nearest MRT station (which is not very near either) is Paya Lebar Mrt Station. I went over from City Hall so I took bus 16 from Raffles Hotel and alighted at the stop after Tanjong Katong Secondary. After alighting, walk straight and you will see a petrol station. Continue walking till you reach a narrow road which is Joo Chiat. Turn left and walk all the way down. You will see Fragrance Hotel and 2 Hotel 81s on your way before reaching Long Phung Restaurant which is on the right side of the road. 

159 Joo Chiat Road

Group Therapy

Since it's Sunday, let me share a good place for Sunday brunch! I love brunch because it's a good excuse to sleep in and crawl awake late for yummy food. Group Therapy serves fantastic brunch and I just love the decoration inside the cafe. Very vintage, very laid back, very different. It has a whole new vibe to itself and a character sorely lacking in many other cafes. Situated on the second floor of a shop house along Duxton (above Etna Italian Restaurant which I'm also intending to try soon), Group Therapy is indeed a therapeutic experience. 

I ordered poached eggs both times I visited Group Therapy because I just can't get enough of the fluffy toast, slices of smoked salmon and that thick hollandaise sauce. Coupled with the runny egg yolk, this dish is absolutely fantastic. Notice the plate which was used to serve the poached eggs. It's the traditional porcelain plates that our mothers use at home! I like how everything is part of the theme, right down to the plates.

However, note that service can be a bit slow and your food might take a while to arrive when the cafe gets crowded. But to be fair, that's inevitable in every cafe!

To get to Group Therapy by MRT is a little tricky. The nearest MRT station is Tanjong Pagar. Exit where it takes you to Orchid Hotel. Cross the road and walk straight to Orchid Hotel. Walk along the side of Orchid Hotel and you will see Keisuke Ramen at your right (that place is worthy of another post another time!). Continue walking and cross the road. Walk around the void deck of the HDB block and you will see the Black Gold cafe and a dental clinic. Cross the street and you will spot the signage that says Duxton. Walk down and you will see Etna Italian Restaurant on your right. Climb up the stairs to the second floor and you are at Group Therapy!

49 Duxton Road #02-01

Ah Loy Thai

I've been to Ah Loy Thai a lot of times with my friends because the food there is good and reasonably priced. To me, that is an awesome combination that few restaurants can achieve thus the long queue and squeezy sitting arrangement are all but a small price to pay.

Yesterday I brought my family here after work! We ordered a lot for 4 people but somehow I only managed to take a picture when 3 of the dishes were served and then I was so engrossed in the food, I forgot about everything else!

We ordered Fried Sweet Potato Leaves (Spicy) which on first sight did not look like it was fried with chilli at all. But you can definitely taste the chilli the minute you bite into those crunchy leaves. Fried Calamari with butter was next. I liked the tangy butter sauce drizzled on the fried calamari as it not only lends flavour to the dish but makes it not so dry. Of course we did the usual Tom Yam Seafood Soup which was terrific. I love the red kind of tom yam seafood. I popped by another Thai Restaurant previously and they served the white kind which somehow just didn't feel as satisfying. The Tom Yam Seafood Soup had its fair share of seafood, just enough for its price. 

The other dishes not shown in the picture because of my gluttony are Thai Fried Tofu and Thai Lemon Grass Steam Fish. The Thai Fried Tofu is normal but the Thai Lemon Grass Steam Fish was the bomb! I have a weird pet peeve in which I do not eat fish when I can see the head, the tail and the set of bones. I prefer fish slices and fillets. But the Lemon Grass Steam Fish here was so fresh and it was steamed in this lemon grass soup which was so fragrant, I cannot stop eating more. The lemon grass soup was light and tangy, very refreshing and there is a generous serving of vermicelli inside the dish. There's also the Pandan Chicken which was really juicy and well marinated. I love how the chunk of chicken has little bit of fats within to make it so much more chewy. 

After so many times here, I just found out that you could actually make reservations! Oh man, silly me. The reservation number is on the menu below and take your time to check out the menu too. Its an easy, fuss free menu with no pictures but so far the dishes always come out looking like what I had in mind!;)

The nearest MRT station to Ah Loy Thai is Bugis MRT. After alighting, walk through Bugis Junction and exit near the pet shop. Cross the road and walk further down and you would see Shaw Towers. If you are walking from that direction, simply enter through the doors beside the car park entrance of Shaw Towers and walk straight in. Ah Loy Thai is on your right.

For reservation: 91651543/93297599

100 Beach Road #01-39/40 Shaw Tower

100 Beach Road, #01-39/40 Shaw Tower,Singapore

Nantsuttei Ramen

The first time I visited Nantsuttei was a long while back when I was still in school and this bowl of ramen was awesome comfort food after a sucky day pawing through books. The second time back was just as fulfilling and I asked for a counter seat this time so that I can watch the chef at work!

The ramen was done just right, springy and taut yet not too hard. After watching the chef at work, I concluded that the secret to springy ramen is a matter of... science and automation. The chef dropped the ramen into hot water and after the desired amount of time had passed, a sieve automatically sieved the ramen out of the water! It's efficient, effective and captures the noodle at its best. No more human error! Although I must confess, I'm always more impressed when I watch the chef cook the ramen and scoop them out after what he thinks is the right amount of time without so much as glancing at the clock. 

I love the smell of garlic oil but if truth be told, I felt kind of queasy halfway through the bowl of ramen. It was good solid ramen with a robust broth that was full of flavour but I guess my stomach just was not used to that large amount of oil. Which is such a pity since Nantsuttei is famous for its garlic oil. 

Nantsuttei is at Parco Marina Bay. To get there by MRT, take the Circle Line to Promenade Station and walk to Exit A. You should see Parco Marina Bay once you step off the escalator.

9 Raffles Boulevard #P3-06 Parco Marina Bay, Millenia Walk, Singapore

New direction, new style

Took a long break from... practically everything. Between struggling to finish my pupilage, settling into a new job and getting things together to be called to the bar, I had less time and even lesser inspiration to write.

But now that the entire transition phase is over and I'm excitedly embarking on a new direction in my life, I've also decided on a new direction for my blog. Starting from today, I would be sharing all sorts of interesting little nuggets of information from food to fashion to fitness to books on my blog. Toseetofeeltoeat will cover everything and anything I come across in life that I find worthwhile to share. 

This blog will live up to its name for you to see, to feel and to eat through my words. It's going to be an amazing journey. I know it already.