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#159 The Nest @ Marina Bay Sands’ Casino, Singapore

Posted by swisscheese on May 14, 2012 in chicken claws, chinese cuisine, dim sum, noodles, porridge, singapore, sliced fish porridge

Nest MBS

My grandmother comes to Singapore on a monthly basis and whenever she is here, she will definitely head to the casino at Marina Bay Sands for sure! Despite being a permanent residence in Singapore and paying an entrance fee of SGD$100 for every visit, my grandmother frequents the casino.

The Nest
10 Bayfront Avenue, Level 1,
Casino Floor Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
+65 6688 8888

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Nest MBS
Nest MBS

I accompanied my grandmother to the casino a few times when she is in Singapore and whenever she is hungry after playing many rounds of jackpot, she will either dine at The Nest or Rise with me. I went to The Nest twice. Once was with my third uncle and grandmother and the next time was with my grandmother. I really like how The Nest uses seashell like materials to decorate the interior of the restaurant. The servers at The Nest are very attentive as there are only limited seats available at The Nest and the distance from one end of the restaurant to the other is really short.

Nest MBS
Nest MBSNest MBS
Nest MBS
Nest MBS

My grandmother mention that we should order a few dishes, have a bit of everything and share the dishes. As they always say, “Sharing is Caring”. I ordered the Shrimp Dumpling Noodles as depicted in the first picture. It costs SGD$10 and I found it really overpriced. Firstly, the shrimp dumpling noodles is too salty that I could not even drink much of the soup. I do not even finish any noodle soup in the first place because of the high MSG content. I only managed to finish the vegetables and shrimp dumplings. My grandmother shared her Sliced Fish Fillet Congee with me and it is definitely not worth your SGD$9. Do not get me wrong! The congee is fine but it is really quite pricey. The fish fillet was very fresh though! I requested for the “siew mai” but my grandmother did not want to consume it so I ate the entire 4 siew mai on my own. The siew mai is steamed with crab roe in it and it costs SGD$3.80 for 3 pieces. I think that this dish is one of the better ones at The Nest. My grandmother loves the Chicken Claw the most though. She kept feeding me fat by constantly putting food at my bowl. I find that the Chicken Claw is marinated rather well and it is not too bad for SGD$3.80.

Ratings of Shrimp Dumpling Noodles: 2/5★

Ratings of Sliced Fish Fillet Congee: 2.8/5★

Ratings of Siew Mai: 3/5★

Ratings of Chicken Claw: 3.2/5★

As always, my grandmother will foot the bill so I never get the chance to know the total amount of the meal. However, judging by the costs of individual dishes, I reckon that it is not worth it coming over to The Next to dine.

CREDIT/DEBIT/CASH ALLOWED
ONLY ABLE TO ENTER VIA THE CASINO
NEAREST MRT STATION: BAYFRONT @ CIRCLE LINE

Ambiance: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Food (taste & appearance): 5.5/10
Value: 5.2/10

Total: 6.55/10★

In conclusion, The Nest is just a convenient place to consume food when you are hungry. If you want a better feast, go elsewhere!

swisscheese*

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#158 25th Birthday @ High Society, Singapore

Posted by swisscheese on May 11, 2012 in cupcakes, duck confit, european cuisine, fine dining, high tea, high-end, pasta, singapore, tiramisu, western cuisine

High Society

My best friends decided to celebrate my birthday on Leap Day because I was working and had to celebrate with my family and other friends and they were busy. They asked me to choose a place to dine at and I decided on High Society because I have only tried their desserts but not their meals.

PART 1 of High Society

PART 2

High Society
Marina Bay Sands,
10 Bayfront Avenue,
Singapore 018956
6688 7522

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High Society
High Society

I mentioned about the grand interior of High Society in my previous entry as it is a fine dining restaurant. The seating area at the entrance is catered for customers who want to have desserts and high tea while the seating areas at the inner side of High Society are catered to people who want to have breakfast, lunch or dinner. Servers in High Society are dressed in neat butler attire and they are very well-mannered and friendly to customers. One particular butler by the name of Carlo was very nice. He got to know that it was my birthday celebration so he gave me a complimentary cupcake of my choice and 15% discount off 3 of  our 4 course meals and drinks.

3 SETS OF 4 COURSE MEAL @ HIGH SOCIETY
SGD$58++ PER SET
WITHOUT GST & SERVICE CHARGE

High Society
High Society
High Society
High Society

A. SOUP

1st picture – We were first served with the Soup Of The Day! Pardon me but I completely forgot the taste of it except for it’s peppery taste because we had this in late February.

B. STARTERS

2nd picture – Vivian had the Crab Caesar Salad and she enjoys it a lot! I did not manage to try it because I dislike Caesar Salads!

3rd & 4th pictures – Crystal & I had the Salmon Tartar, which is TO DIE FOR! For anyone who loves raw salmon, you definitely have to try this! It is raw norwegian salmon tossed with sesame dressing and fresh herbs and placed on a toasted bread with salad at the side. The salmon is so fresh and mouth-watering and naturally, I ate the salad despite how much I dislike salad because it blends with the raw salmon! The salad is SGD$19 on it’s own but since we had the 4 course meal, it is cheaper in a way!

Ratings: 5/5★

C. MAIN COURSE

High Society
High Society
High Society
High Society

1st picture – Crystal placed her bet on the safest food – Scallop Linguine. I had to agree that the pan-seared scallops were fresh and the dente linguine was delicious but the set itself is not exceptional. Crystal was happy that she got a “safe” food but she was a little disappointed that it was not fantastic.

2nd picture – Vivian had the Bangers and Mash, which comprised of kurobuta pork with buttered mash potato and garden salad tossed on balsamic dressing! She did not like it as she did not think that it was filling! Also, her kurobuta pork had chemical taste in it. It smells pretty weird!

3rd & 4th pictures – I have been wanting to try Duck Confit so much so I decided to get the signature Crispy Duck Confit! The duck confit is totally one of the rock-your-socks dish as the duck leg was slow cooked and their carrot puree deep enhances it’s taste. The mix mesclun, sauteed mushroom and thyme jus made the meal look very appetizing. Trust me when I say “Seeing is Believing!”

Ratings: 5/5★

D. DESSERTS & TEA

High Society
High Society
High Society
High Society
High Society

1st picture – Crystal ordered the Raspberry Mille Feuille, which has vanilla mascarpone cream in between layers of caramelized puff pastry filled with raspberry jam. It costs SGD$9 on it’s own but again, we had the 4 course meal so it was cheaper this way. Vivian loves Crystal’s cake the most and ranked it first for the cakes we had!

2nd picture – Vivian had Tiramisu as her dessert. I did not find it authentic as there were not alcohol in it and the lady’s fingers were so moist! The dessert is actually fine but not fabulous - just average in my opinion.

3rd picture – As usual, I always go for unique food items so I chose Tealcohol (SGD$9 on it’s own) as my dessert choice. It was an earl grey tea parfait filled with molten grand marnier truffle! It was my favourite lot of the desserts once again! The parfait was very soft but stable and the texture is very smooth. In the parfait is the chocolate that melts in your mouth – Definitely another exquisite cake that must be placed in your “TO-EAT-LIST”!

Ratings: 5/5★

4th picture – Of course, dessert without tea is like having your steak without wine! So tea was complimentary too! We had a choice of English Breakfast Tea or Black Coffee. Since all of us were not coffee drinkers, we decided to get a cup of English Breakfast Tea. The tea is very subtle and definitely blends with the adorable little saccharine desserts.

Ratings: 3.5/5★

COMPLEMENTARY BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE

High Society
High Society
High Society

I had a choice to make between the cupcakes and I did not want something too dense so I followed Carlo’s recommendation and went for the Passion Cupcake. It is one of the nicest cupcakes I ever had! The cupcakes in the “Cupcakes” store at Vancouver are really puke-worthy! After having a dozen of it in 2007, I vowed to try any desserts except cupcakes. However, Passion cupcake is one of the lightest cupcake I ever had! The cupcake itself is not too sweet and the raspberry and pistachio whipped cream is not too saccharine as well.

 Ratings: 4.5/5★

ALCOHOL – NOT PART OF 4 COURSE MEAL SET

High Society
High Society
High SocietyHigh Society

Crystal, Vivian & I decided to also get cocktails such as Grasshopper (2nd picture), Simply Tasty (3rd picture) & Blue Lagoon (4th picture). The cocktails are SGD$10 each. Grasshopper comprised of a sweet flavoured chocolate mint. Simply Tasty had apple, lychee and cranberry juice blended till perfection. Lastly, Blue Lagoon is a combination of grenadine and lime juice topped with lemonade.

No ratings for this but the cocktail was definitely very refreshing and it helps to cleanse our palate after each dish we had.

High Society

The total bill came up to SGD$204.10 with a discount of 15%, thanks to Carlo! Really grateful that we had such an awesome server!

CREDIT/DEBIT/CASH ALLOWED
FINE DINING EXPERIENCE
NEAREST MRT STATION: BAYFRONT @ CIRCLE LINE

Ambiance: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Food (taste & appearance): 9.2/10
Value: 9/10

Total: 9.3/10★

In conclusion, High Society is definitely one of the places you can have your birthday celebration in. Give yourself a little treat & pay High Society a visit today!

swisscheese*

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#157 Pin Pin @ East Vancouver, Canada

Posted by swisscheese on May 9, 2012 in east vancouver, filipino cuisine

Pin Pin

PART 1 of Pinpin

PART 2 of Pinpin

One day after having lunch with Audrey (Part 2′s post) at Pinpin, Vivi wanted to dine with me at Pinpin as well! This is because I was packing my luggage for my flight past midnight and she wanted to see me for the last time! It was freezing and pouring very heavily that day so I was very touched that Vivi made the effort to come all the way close to my house to have lunch with me. Since I was doing last minute packing, Vivi decided to order the meals first as she could stay for only 45 minutes.

Pinpin
6113 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC V5W2Z9
(604) 322-3086

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Pin Pin
Pin Pin

Since Vivi and I had lots to catch up and we had to rush after lunch, I did not have the time to ask Vivi  the name of the item she ordered in the first picture! It is basically pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce and topped with a tinge of pepper. The item was served in large serving size and definitely worth the try as I enjoyed the dish a lot! Vivi also ordered garlic rice for us to consume with the food ordered. She kept feeding me fat by putting a lot of food on my plate, what a sweetie she is! However, my sister cooked lunch for me an hour back so I could not finish all the dishes on our table.

As for the the dish in the second picture, it is the Pinangat Na Laing which I picked when I arrived at the restaurant. It is a very unique dish that costs CAD$8.95! Definitely a rocks your socks dish based on how it’s made. Ground pork is cooked in coconut milk and wrapped with taro leaves. The dish is then topped up with shrimps. Everything about the dish was perfect except for the fact that it was quite salty that day. What a bummer!

Rating: 3/5★

Vivi was one crazy friend that packed all the food nicely for me to bring home because we could not finish our meals. In addition to that, she snatched the bill from me and wanted to treat me as a farewell gift!! I will definitely not forget that thoughtful girl!

ACCEPTS CASH/CREDIT CARD/DEBIT CARD
OPEN UNTIL 9PM
CLOSEST SKYTRAIN STATION: MAIN STREET
BUS: 8 

Ambiance: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Food (taste & appearance): 6/10
Value: 8.5/10

Total: 7/10★

In conclusion, I have been to Pinpin countless times and I am never disappointed!
Pinpin on Urbanspoon

swisscheese*

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#156 Wawawa Bistro by the Reservoir @ Bedok Reservoir, Singapore

Posted by swisscheese on May 5, 2012 in pasta, sandwiches, singapore, western cuisine

wawawa bistro by the reservoir

It was the eve of my birthday in February and my family wanted to have a birthday dinner for me. Since Wawawa just opened not too long ago, my brother and Yati suggested that we have my birthday dinner there.

Wawawa Bistro by the Reservoir
901, Bedok Reservoir Road,
Singapore 479266.
6285 8038

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wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir

We made a reservation for 5 people at 7pm on the 24th of February. However, my sister could not make it to the dinner so there were only 4 of us – Dad, bro, Yati & I. The restaurant is an outdoor restaurant just by the reservoir. We brought our Shetland Sheepdog along with us and I saw the people sitting on the table next to us also bringing their dog along. I absolutely appreciate restaurants like this – outdoor dining, dogs friendly, beside the reservoir and around nature. The restaurant has a bar area as the place serves alcohol. The servers there are really slow though and they did not have a candle for my lava cake.

wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir
wawawa bistro by the reservoir

1st – 5th pictures – I ordered the Seafood Mushroom Baked Rice, which costs SGD$11.80. I have always loved baked rice cause of the butter mushroom rice toppled with bechamel, prawn and melted cheese. However, the baked rice served at Wawawa is just average and Swensens’ baked rice tastes way better!

Ratings: 2.5/5★

6th pictures – My brother’s food was served the earliest! He had the Carbonara, which consists of linguine with sauteed bacon, chicken and wild mushrooms in cream based sauce. It costs SGD$13.80 and my brother did not think that it was worth that much money. He felt that the food is average and too expensive.

7th – 10th pictures – My father wanted the Club Sandwich set, which costs SGD$11.80. It comprised of chicken mayonnaise, fried egg, bacon, ham, cheese, lettuce in wholemeal bread and there is also fries and garden greens at the side. It is much healthier as wholemeal bread has way more nutritional value than white bread. However, too much mayonnaise sauce and processed food such as fries, bacon and ham is detrimental to health. My father really enjoyed the meal and did not want to share much of his sandwiches with us.

11th picture – My domestic helper, Yati ordered the Cajun Chicken, which had chicken thigh seasoned with cajun spice and topped with mushroom sauce. Her side dishes were mashed potato and seasonal vegetables. Her chicken was not cooked properly so we told the server about it and he gave us a new set after about 20 minutes. Yati found the cajun chicken quite nice with the exception of the uncooked meat.

wawawa bistro by the reservoir wawawa bistro by the reservoir wawawa bistro by the reservoir wawawa bistro by the reservoir

My father ordered the lava cake with ice-cream set for my birthday cake. However, they did not have a candle with them. What a pity! The dessert was a molten lava cake topped with icing sugar that melts in your mouth when eaten. It blends well with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream with oreo crumbles at the bottom of it. There is also a raspberry at the side to spice things up a little.

Ratings: 3/5★

My father paid for the food we got as it was my birthday dinner with the family!

ACCEPTS CASH/CREDIT CARD
Monday to Friday – 5.00pm to 12 Midnight
Saturday & Sunday – 11:00am to 01:00am
 Nearest MRT Station: Bedok

Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 5.5/10
Food (taste & appearance): 5.5/10
Value: 5/10

Total: 6.13/10★

In conclusion, I was rather disappointed with the food at Wawawa because I also had diarrhea when I went back home. However, I went back there the second time! Will do a review about it soon!

swisscheese*

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# 155 Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe (Part 3) @ Alberni Street, Downtown Vancouver

Posted by swisscheese on May 3, 2012 in black forest cake, cakes, chocolate mousse, hot chocolate, pumpkin soup, quiche, vancouver

thierry

Thanks to Ci Retty’s recommendation of Thierry, I went to Thierry thrice in my short trip of 2.5 weeks to Vancouver. The HFAN ladies were thinking of having another ladies’ night at Thierry so we went there in mid February two nights before I left.

PART 1

PART 2 

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe
1059 Alberni St
Vancouver, BC V6Z2V6
(604) 608-6870

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No reservations could be made for a cafe like Thierry as it is based on a first come first served basis. Thankfully, Fidella stays close and she came very early with Andrew to reserve the seats for 7 of us. We had to join two tables and find 7 chairs for us to seat together before we could head to the counter to place our order. It was quite crowded and noisy that night but we enjoyed our night anyway!

thierry
thierrythierrythierry

I was starving by the time I got to Thierry so instead of getting the sweet cakes like I usually do, I decided to get myself the pumpkin soup (CAD$6.75) once again! I know I will never get to taste such delicious pumpkin soup in Singapore so got to consume this while I could. The level of creaminess and viscosity of the soup is just impeccable!

Both Vionna and Fidella got different types of quiche. One got the vegetarian quiche, which consists of quiche with organic vegetables and herbs. The other had the lorraine quiche, which comprised of quiche with thick cut bacon and mushrooms. They both fell in love with the quiche at their first bite! I guess that was the highlight of their night because Vionna did not like the macaroon she got and Fidella did not quite fancy her hot chocolate drink.

thierry
thierrythierrythierry

1st and 2nd pictures – Emily finally settled for the Chocolate Trio after browsing through the delicate cakes that Thierry carries. The Chocolate Trio is made up chocolate sponge cake in between white, milk and dark chocolate mousse. She enjoyed her cake but she found the chocolate cakes at Thomas Haas tasted way better!

3rd and 4th pictures – Jessica came a little later but she managed to find her way to Thierry! She decided to get the Blackforest cake instead. It is made up of layers of light pastry cream and chocolate sponge cake, topped with cherries and pieces of chocolates and coated with chocolate coating.

thierry

I also wanted to try Thierry’s liquid chocolate so I decided to get the hazelnut hot chocolate. It is made with velvety dark chocolate and hazelnut. Both Emily and I found the hazelnut liquid chocolate too saturated that it was so hard to slurp the entire cup of liquid chocolate up! I really enjoy thick soups, smoothies and such but the hot chocolate we had is really too rich for my liking.

Opens Daily:
Mon – Fri: 7AM – 12AM,
Sat – Sun: 9AM – 12AM
Nearest Skytrain Station: Buarrad

Thierry Chocolaterie Patisserie Cafe on Urbanspoon

swisscheese*

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