Recipes A Bistro by Shatec

I came here once a long time ago for a fine-dining module that we were all forced to take back in university. Back then, the bistro was called Charcoal, if my memory serves me well, and the food was awesome with good attentive service. Fast forward a couple of years and the bistro is now named Recipes but it is still managed by Shatec as a training ground for their students.

Maybe we dropped by on the wrong day or the standard has really dropped, but it was a pretty disappointing lunch. They did not have the usual lunch menu for that day and we were told that there was only one lunch set available as they had an event earlier on. The waitress read out the details of the only lunch set available and we gathered that basically we only had the choice of either soup or salad, Grilled Chicken  as our main course, and a slice of marble cake as our dessert.

I ordered salad as part of my recent healthy eating campaign but the salad dressing was bland, tasteless and really disappointing. I would have preferred the usual balsamic vinaigrette to what I presumed was the house dressing since I did not catch the waitress' earlier description. Wasn't very tempted to finish my bowl of salad but I persevered to give credit to my own healthy eating campaign hurhur.

The main course was decent. The grilled chicken was crisp on the outside and tender within, but I was not too fond of the sauce. I have no idea what that sauce was though, since I missed that part from the waitress' earlier description but whatever it was, it was way too sweet for me. The kuskus tasted weird and we thought it was cooked and kept aside for too long so we pointed it out to the waitress. The waitress went into the kitchen and returned to tell us that kuskus was supposed to taste this way. We accepted her explanation but chose not to accept the kuskus so none of us really touched the kuskus.

My colleague then asked for some chili sauce to go with her grilled chicken and the waitress returned with several packets of chili sauce. To our surprise, the expiry date printed on the packets is February 2012 so the packets were all about 8 months overdue. We pointed it out once again to the waitress and to Recipes' credit, she went into the kitchen and prepared a bowl of chili sauce for my colleague instead.

It was time for dessert and tea/coffee. The slice of marble cake was pretty good, nice and fluffy, and it goes very well with the chocolate sauce drizzled around the cake.

They served our cups of tea/coffee and the waitress went around to offer us creamer and sugar. I was just about to note their impeccable service when the waitress accidentally dropped a spoonful of sugar on my colleague. And this was the same colleague who had packets of expired chili sauce given to her previously. I suppose that really was not her day....

Victor's Kitchen

Dropped by for brunch with my family at Victor's Kitchen last Saturday morning before I headed home and promptly had a 3 hour nap before I crawled awake to meet the boyfriend.

Victor's Kitchen is a small little cafe at Sunshine Plaza which serves decent dim sum. I would not say the dim sum here is mind blowing, but I would return for more if I am in the area and I've consistently been returning for more. They used to have small tables lined up outside the shop as well but someone complained about the crowd or something and now the tables have disappeared and two No Queuing signs stand in their place. The queue remains, however, and the lady is seen running out many times to tell the customers to queue close to the shop and not crowd at the entrance of the neighbouring shops.

We were lucky when we got there and were seated immediately at an empty table for four. We ticked the menu quickly and went over to the counter to place our order. Of the dim sum that we ordered, I would recommend the glutinous rice, the pan fried cheong fun, the fried Xian Zhu Juan and of course, their iconic Golden Egg Yolk Lava Bun.

I like their glutinous rice as it is extremely soft and has fully absorbed the fragrance of the lotus leaf. When I was still studying, I used to buy one glutinous rice from Victor's Kitchen and packet this back to school so that I can eat during those times when I'm stuck with back to back classes or in one of those endless meetings.

The pan fried cheong fun is delicious such that is it slightly crisp on the outside yet soft within. I also like the Xian Zhu Juan as it is nicely fried with abundant filling. The carrot cake with XO sauce is not too bad as well but not impressive. The century egg porridge is sweet and very clear, not salty at all and tastes extremely healthy. As for their siew mai and ha gao (shrimp dumpling), I am not fond of either as the skin is too thick for both.

The main draw of the place is definitely the Golden Egg Yolk Lava Bun. The bun is fluffy and soft with a thin skin and a generous scoop of egg yolk inside. When you bite into the bun, expect hot delicious egg yolk to ooze out and make sure you don't waste a drop of that yumminess.

The cafe can get very cramped and crowded over the weekend and you may find yourself eating shoulder to shoulder with a stranger. While I was there eating brunch, I had to get out of my seat to allow two sets of customers to exit and they were awkwardly trying to maneuver around the chairs, tables and narrow space all at once. If that is not your cup of tea and you enjoy eating in luxury, this is not the place for you.

#01-21 Bencoolen Plaza

Geylang Lorong 9 Frog Leg Porridge

Short post before I crash from my continuous fits of coughing. I actually feel very embarrassed each time I start coughing uncontrollably as I can totally imagine everybody thinking what a germ spreader I am. I was at a talk yesterday when I had one of these coughing fits and I just could not stop. I was totally, like, oh my goodness, so I scurried out of the auditorium back to the office to retrieve some water. Thank goodness our office was in the same building or I might have to hide under the chair in shame. 

So Geylang Lorong 9 Frog Leg Porridge. I persuaded my mum to walk to Geylang Lorong 9 for some frog leg porridge last week. The walk was decent that day as the weather was great and it was quite cool that evening. We chose a table by the road as I adamantly refused to sit inside the coffee shop itself. For some reason, I actually like eating by the road. It's so warm inside the coffee shop and there are so many people milling around. The tables outside are far apart and we all have our own space and a balmy evening breeze to cool ourselves. 

We ordered 3 frog legs with spring onion and porridge for two. The food came in two separate clay pots which kept the food warm until we finished everything. It cost us $25, which was not exactly the cheapest but I was happy to pay for the delicious frog legs. The frog legs were really very fresh and sweet, the flesh was so tender and the sauce was delicious. The porridge was sweet too, not as bland as you would expect porridge to be. Just scoop some sauce into the porridge and start enjoying your frog legs!

To get to Geylang Lorong 9, you can alight at Kallang MRT and exit on the right. Cross the road to the bus interchange and walk to the next junction before turning left. You should see a restaurant selling Chinese cuisine. Continue walking down this road. You will walk past many steamboat restaurants. When you reach G7 Sinma, continue walking down and cross the road towards the Shell Petrol Station. Walk further and you should be able to see Lorong 9. It is the coffee shop right at the corner along the main road.

Geylang Lorong 9

Ice Cream Gallery

This little ice cream shop along Tanjong Katong is a hot favourite around the area, judging by the crowd  packed into the tiny place most nights. I am especially fond of dropping by for my ice cream fix after dinner in one of the nearby cafes. Honestly, Tanjong Katong Road is lined with so many fantastic cafes and eateries, you can simply pop by into any one of them for dinner and then Ice Cream Gallery for dessert.

The decoration inside the small ice cream shop is simple and modern with white tables and chairs at the back, behind the counter. The place can be very crowded on some nights with everybody milling around inside trying to snag a table. The staff is very friendly and helpful, always ready to let you try the flavours and dishing out recommendations when asked. I've tried their brownie with a scoop of rum and raisin before and it was superb! The brownie was warm and moist and I enjoyed the rum and raisin too.

The price of the ice cream is very reasonable and the scoop is large. I am always reluctant to spend too much money on ice cream in shops like Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz unless I have an irresistible craving for the strawberry cheesecake or caramel and biscuit. So the pricing of Ice Cream Gallery always make me happy to indulge in more ice cream.

To get to Ice Cream Gallery, you can take Bus 32 from Kallang MRT and alight opposite the famous Punggol Nasi Lemak store. Cross the road and you will find Ice Cream Gallery.

242C Tanjong Katong Road

Dean and Deluca

It was a rainy Sunday morning and we reached Dean and Deluca promptly at 11am. The exterior looks chic and modern, brightly lit and very inviting. There are two seating areas, one near the entrance which is away from the counter and the other which is inside and right in front of the counter.

The cafe was still relatively empty when we entered and we chose an empty table near the counter. The counter itself was impressive and the display was absolutely tempting. I was so inclined to order everything I saw since everything looked so good. Maybe it's the lighting or the artistic display or something, I'm not sure. But this is the first time I was that impressed by something displayed over the counter. The menu itself was a huge board hanging above the counter, beneath a row of clocks showing the time in different countries. 

We got in line and ordered the American Country Breakfast and the New Yorker. The American Country Breakfast was a spread with toast, roasted cherry tomatoes, eggs (poached in our case), portobello mushrooms, sausage and bacon. It tasted great but I was just curious about why the food was not exactly warm. Somehow it felt like the food had been left to air on the counter for awhile before being served. Guess I am still pretty used to having a hot breakfast on a rainy Sunday. Makes me feel warm and snug.

The New Yorker consisted of bagel with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. I am a fan of smoked salmon and I really enjoy having eggs with smoked salmon for sunday brunch. The New Yorker was done fairly well too, with the scrambled eggs being soft and fluffy. My only gripe? It was not warm either.

Both the American Country Breakfast and the New Yorker was $22 each (inclusive of GST but without service charge). It's definitely not the cheapest brunch around but the price is competitive for a cafe in town. I liked the self-service factor in Dean and Deluca whereby we help ourselves to iced water, utensils, napkins, sugar and pepper. It's more efficient and I have always loathed waving my arms around trying to grab the attention of a flustered waitress struggling to manage the crowd on a Sunday.

Very convenient to get to Dean and Deluca. Exit from Somerset Mrt Station, walk out of 313 towards Orchard Central and take the external escalator to Level 4. Enter through the glass doors and you will find yourself right outside Dean and Deluca.

#04-23 Orchard Central 

Bedok 85

Ugh it sucks to be sick and even more so when it is the weekend. Feels like I'm just stumbling around completely unaware and wasting my weekend away. On the bright side, I did manage to rest a lot and that seems to satisfy the flu bug somewhat. I really wanted to go to the chalet tonight though and have some good fun with everyone but I am hardly in a state fit enough to survive more bbq food and a night without rest. So here I am on a rainy Saturday in front of my laptop blogging about one of my favourite food places - Bedok 85.

For those who are unaware, Bedok 85 actually refers to the Feng Shan Food Centre in Bedok but everybody calls it Bedok 85 as the food centre is at Block 85. The original food centre is currently undergoing upgrading works but the temporary one is right beside it and most of the popular stalls have moved over pending completion of the original food centre. For some reason, the crowd that used to throng the original food centre has mellowed significantly and you can easily find an empty table at the temporary food centre now. 

Bedok 85 has been my favourite place for late dinners and suppers with my friends and boyfriend. As most of them live in the east, the location of Bedok 85 is ideal and the food is superb.

Bak Chor Mee

There are three stalls in the food centre selling bak chor mee (minced meat noodles) with two of them right beside each other - Xing Ji Ruo Cuo Mian and Seng Hiang Bak Chor Mee.

I've tried all three stalls before but the main contenders are the above two stalls. Xing Ji Ruo Cuo Mian wins by a slight margin as I feel that their noodles are more supple and they are more generous with their minced pork. Seng Hiang is not too bad either but I would only patronize Seng Hiang if Xing Ji is closed (as in the picture above).

The special thing about Xing Ji Ruo Cuo Mian is that they only serve the soup version of it even though most bak chor mee stalls tend to have the dry version instead. The wait for Xing Ji Ruo Cuo Mian can be long and when you remind the auntie who takes your order about it, she can get pretty annoyed so I've learned never to question her about my order. Just wait patiently and you will get your bowl of bak chor mee. 

Chan BBQ

They used to serve really good barbecued food like grilled sambal stingray and chili clams. However, over the years, the standard has dropped slightly and while the grilled sambal stingray is still good now, it does not leave you craving for more. The tasty side dip which used to come with the grilled sambal stingray had also miraculously morphed into "chicken rice chili" which nobody ever touches. Depending on your luck, some nights they serve really juicy succulent grilled stingray but on others, the stingray can be really tough.

There are also many other yummy supper food in Bedok 85 such as Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee, Or Jian (Fried Egg with Oysters), satay and grilled chicken wings. Washing all this delicious food down with a cup of cold sugar cane juice or iced lemon tea, I guarantee you will return home happy and contended. 

Bedok 85 is not near Bedok MRT station or Tanah Merah MRT station though I've tried walking from both MRT stations to the food centre before. To get to the food centre from Bedok Interchange, you can take bus 14 and alight when you see the brightly lit food centre which is about 4 stops away. 

Block 85 Bedok North Street 4

Ah Chew Dessert

I absolutely love traditional chinese desserts. I love my green bean soup, my barley and gingko nuts and my double-boiled papaya and white fungus with almond. Chinese desserts are really very nourishing and good for health, whether you are feeling "heaty" after a heavy meal or queasy after an oily dinner. I used to visit this shop at Chinatown market where this old lady would boil pots of traditional desserts and serve them in small porcelain bowls. I have not seen the old lady since I was in my teens and some other people have taken over her shop but the taste is no longer the same.

Ah Chew proves to be a good place to go since my childhood favourite at Chinatown is no longer around. I always order the same double-boiled papaya and white fungus with almond because it's tasty and white fungus is good for the lungs and throats. You can have it hot or cold but I always opt for the hot one because it just feels weird to have cold double-boiled sweet soup.

Ah Chew is always crowded at night when everybody comes around for dessert after dinner. The staff can get quite rude sometimes when the queue is long and some customers tend not to queue and simply plonk themselves down on any available table. But the good desserts are certainly worth waiting for.

Ah Chew is along Liang Seah street, right opposite Bugis Junction. Get to the MOS Burger at Bugis Junction and cross the road. Walk down and you will see Ah Chew at your right.

1 Liang Seah Street #01-11