Food Review #7 - L'Entrecote

That day 4 of us went to L'Entrecote for dinner.  One of my friends have tried the Paris branch and wanted to try out the Singapore branch as well.

We made a reservation for 7pm but the restaurant was quite empty. There were about 3-4 occupied tables only, in a restaurant that could sit about 100. Once we sat down, they offered us complimentary drinks, some white wine mixed with dunno what berries. Not bad. :)

We ordered our mains (they only have one type of main - steak) and some appetizers.

This was their foie gras. I don't like foie gras, because of its taste and because of it's methods of processing. Anyway i think the general consensus among those who ate it is that it is not bad. I ate the bread and that's nice though, we asked for seconds. :D

The main course comes with a walnut salad. This was pretty refreshing, accompanied by crispy greens.

We were pretty happy with the escargots. These 6 little buggers were snapped up in no time.

Ta-dah! Here's the main lead for the day. They've already sliced up your steak for you but it's still too big a piece to pop into the mouth. I ordered medium rare and I felt that the beef was quite good, just that I didn't really like the sauce much coz it was sourish - probably balsamic vinegar. The gravy overpowered the steak so that was quite sad. Fries were very well done, each one was crispy and you get free-flow fries!

My friend who've been to the Paris branch commented that the one there is much better. When asked, the waiters replied that they adopted the same recipe, but they did add that probably ingredient quality is still different. Not that the ingredient quality the Singapore branch uses is not good or low, but well I suppose there's differences between the balsamic vinegar we use and the ones they use! (Just an example)

I remember this! It's named Crepes Suzette on the menu. Actually I liked this alot, though the hubs complained it was too sour. Well it's citrus hello what did u expect? For a person like him who can't take sourish stuff, it's probably too much but I personally like it. I find the sour taste quite well balanced with the sweet.

Their signature lava cake. I don't know whether I missed it or they didn't state it, but I was really looking forward to a chocolate lava cake, not caramel lava cake. I dislike caramel as I find that it can be very sickeningly sweet at times. This wasn't too bad but honestly speaking it wasn't outstanding either. The scoop of ice cream was nice though, very fragrant. :)

All in all, the hubs and I concluded that we would probably not go back again as it's not really worth the money. To us, there are definitely better steaks out there.

Food Review #6: Kim Chi & BBQ @ JB

That day after our photoshoot, we were so famished so we asked the bridal studio's staff to introduce some places to us. They recommended this Korean BBQ place near the studio. The hubs lurrrrve Korean BBQ, so we decided to go and try it out.

The restaurant interior.

The food items were very affordable. We decided to order the Set meant for 2 pax, which costs RM$105++. With the current exchange rate, that's about SGD$40 for 2 pax. The items include pork belly, marinated chicken, kimchi pancake, a saury (type of fish) and a ginseng chicken soup. We thought it was very affordable and worth it!

Look at the pork! :D

Best part about this korean BBQ place, according to the hubs, is that we don't have to barbecue the meat ourselves! The staff will barbecue for you and they are quite attentive (but the restaurant wasn't that crowded coz we reached at about 9pm). Can't vouch for peak hours though.

The usual Korean restaurant freebies hehe

The saury! This was quite yummy, fresh and the skin was crisp! The hubs don't eat fish so I finished this all by myself!

I exchanged my ginseng chicken soup for my favourite kimchi soup! This was really good! Spicy, with a kick, and they were generous with the ingredients in the soup.

The kimchi pancake...which was quite...mehhhhh. On my next trip there I'll definitely try to exchange this dish for something else!

Overall the hubs and I enjoyed ourselves and the food. He's been yearning to go back there again ever since! :)

MINI BootiQue

I'm not entirely sure how many readers I have, whether they are regular readers or just random passerbys. Anyway, whoever you are, I thank you for stopping by. ^___^

Right now I would like to ask a favour of all you readers and passerbys. Can you please help me LIKE the following Facebook page?

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MINI BootiQue is a blogshop opened by me and a close girlfriend. Our aim is to provide affordable and quality children's clothing to mummies. I will be very very grateful if you could just help to like the page, or better yet, become our customer! :)

My Wedding Journey #4 - Destino Bridal Gallery - Photoshoot

On Monday & Tuesday, the hubs and I finally went for our photoshoot. We were told to reach Destino's in the morning by 9.30am. Once we got there, the make up artist (MUA) got to work. They would find out what dress you have chosen and design your hair to suit the dress. Of course, you can also tell them what you want, but they will advise you and let you know whether it's gonna look odd.

So, my MUA for the day (Vicco) started work on me immediately. By about 11.30am, both the hubs and I were dressed and ready to go for our outdoor photoshoot at Desaru! It is a one-hour drive from Destino. When we reached, our photographer Ah Hui brought us to the beach where we took some pics, but after about 4-5 poses into the shoot, a drizzle began and when we looked into the distance, we could see the heavy rain making its way over. We quickly went back to the car. Ah Hui discussed with us and asked us whether we wanted to go back to the studio for our indoor shoot instead, as from experience he could tell that this rain wouldn't stop anytime soon. Not wanting to waste time, we agreed. He called back the studio to check if there are MUAs or slots available.

Due to the heavy rain, we only got back to the studio at about 4.30pm. Immediately the MUA did my hair and make up for me for my first indoor shoot. I love Vicco my MUA because she is so good at hairstyling. I felt that I looked good in all the hairstyles she did for me! She is also friendly and approachable. Destino's package included 5 gowns for indoor shoot and 2 gowns for outdoor shoot. The hubs and I decided to do as many as we can, but I felt a bit bad that we made Ah Hui and his assistant stayed till so late. We managed to finish the photoshoot for 4 indoor gowns but we ended at 9.30pm. By right, the staff there knocks off at about 8pm so we felt bad for making them stay late. Still, they were very cheerful and relaxed and professional about it.

Hubs and I was waiting for a cab back to the hotel (he parked his car in Destino's for safekeeping coz they have a guard at night) and there were no cabs inside. Just then, a lady drove out from Destino, she asked us where we were heading to and we told her KSL. Just like that, without even knowing who we are or what our names are, she gave us a ride to KSL. She's one of the staff at Destino's and really friendly. She commented that it is dangerous to flag for cabs in JB at night. Anyway thanks Ms Mei Hui! :)

Second day, we were still told to reach by 9.30am, so make up and hair started immediately. We finished the last indoor shoot, then headed again to Desaru. This time, the weather was not sunny but at least it wasn't raining. It was just cloudy. Yay for that. Anyway we finished our photoshoot at almost 7pm and headed back to JB. Thankfully this time round, no rain so no jam. We managed to reach the studio by 8.15pm and bade farewell to our new friends.

Overall, I have to say that I was very very pleased with Destino's services rendered. The staff there are all really friendly, helpful and it is nice talking to them and seeing them work because they are just like a big family. Ah Hui (photographer) is funny, professional and really knows his stuff well. He is this skinny, humble guy who is simple and quite humourous at times.

I will strongly recommend Destino Bridal Gallery to all my friends and family and all you readers! (If anyone is actually reading this). You can find them on Facebook and look at their photos. I love their photos!

The only con, which I also mentioned to Ah Hui for him to feedback to his boss is that Destino's outdoor gowns are quite limited in collection. So if you are planning to look at Destino's, do take a look at their outdoor collection first and look for one that you like before deciding to sign with them!

Food Review #5 - Kuru Kuru Japanese Restaurant

Tucked away at a little mall in River Valley, Kuru Kuru Japanese Restaurant is one of the hubs' and my favourite haunts for Japanese buffet.

We liked this place for its affordability, fresh sashimi and good service. However, in recent years, we realised that as Kuru Kuru's reputation increased, its prices followed suit as well. What used to be affordable now turns out to be slightly more expensive than before. In addition to that, food quality is not consistent. It definitely dropped a few ranks on my list of favourite haunts. :(

The highlight of every Japanese buffet, Kuru Kuru offers Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail, Sea Bass and Octopus sashimi. Yesterday night when we went there with friends, we were served some very dubious sashimi. It looked a lot like Swordfish (which isn't on the menu). We asked the waitress coz we ordered 4 types of sashimi and only 3 types came so we weren't sure which one it was. We could recognise salmon and tuna easily enough. The waitress told us it was sea bass, so we asked her to bring us another serving. However, what she brought us was even more dubious. It was dull grey, warm, rubbery and wasn't even sliced properly. It was really disappointing. The salmon and the tuna were relatively fresh, but could have been colder or fresher I suppose. Compared to the past, I felt that the sashimi last night were really lacklustre.

Soft shell crab maki. Pretty average.

It's signature braised pork belly. The hubs loves it. I don't really like pork belly that much coz of all the fats.

Yaki Niku, one of my favourite dishes despite the oilyness. The beef is sliced thinly and fragrant, the gravy is also good with rice. :)

Very normal saba fish. Small pieces though.

Tori Karaage, which was quite average. But my friends loved the Tori wasabi mayo though, they commented the wasabi mayonnaise was done very well, and I agree.

All in all, I feel that Kuru Kuru can make more efforts to serve fresher, good quality food. Serving buffet is their choice and not an excuse to compromise on the food quality, especially now that they are looking to increase prices.

We paid $32++ each so it amounted to $37 per person. Service was decent though could be improved. Only good waitress is the lady with the sun tattoo near her thumb *smiles*. She's attentive and ever so polite. The rest of the waitstaff...hmmm...really can improve lah. :)

Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambience: 3.5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Kuru Kuru Japanese Restaurant

491 River Valley Rd #01-07
Singapore 248371

Tel # (65) 67332292

Food Review #4 - L'Espresso Cafe Weekday High Tea

The two besties and I took leave on one weekday afternoon to go for High Tea buffet. We were glad we chose L'Espresso. Their service was impeccable and the food was delightful. The ambience was relaxed, it was just a good way to chill.

We arrived at 2pm sharp and were asked to order two drinks. We then proceeded to the food counters.

This was what I came back with for my first plate of food. I really have to say that, every item on this plate was delicious. Some were normal, whereas there were some spectacular ones.

The lobster salad sandwich was really something. The lobster was normal but it was the bread (oh the bread!) that had me going back for seconds and thirds. The bread was soft, light and fluffy. Almost melt-in-your-mouth. 

The little tart in the middle was a tuna nicoise tart. I really liked this one, coz it combined tuna nicoise and quail egg! :D what's not to like?

The two croissants were really decent fare. Filling and satisfying. Some people may feel that it's silly to pay so much just to eat ham and cheese croissants or tuna croissants, but for me, sometimes the simple things can be quite awesome too.

The smoked salmon with caviar canape was really good. We had thirds and fourths. What was nice was the combination of the salty smoked salmon, with a light, refreshing pink colour cream beneath the salmon. The soft texture of the salmon and cream, combined with the crunchy bread was really great.

Picture above: more bread! Tori Karaage, which had too much fats and not enough meat. Swedish meatballs (I preferred Ikea's). Some sausage with pastry thing which was normal. Guinness beef stew, one of its signatures. The beef was tender and went well with the accompanying bread. Scones, also one of L'Espresso's signature. In fact, it's more famous than the beef stew. Together with the clotted cream, it did taste quite nice. Perhaps I am not a big fan of scones in general. I did enjoy it but one was more than enough for me. 

YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY! I wanna eat it again. :(

Desserts! I love strawberry shortcakes! This was nice! Light and fluffy and not too dense. Tiramisu was normal, not bad too. Also quite light. Hehe. I didn't try the other desserts coz I was too full by then lol. Even after we sat there until 5.30pm, I still felt a little green from all that food. The dessert selection was quite comprehensive though, there was creme brulee and fresh fruits and other tarts/cakes/chocolate mousse whatever. Hahaha I don't really have a very sweet tooth. :P

We paid $158 for 3 of us, and I would definitely go back again, if my girlfriends want to. For the price, it may be a little pricey but quite worth the whole pleasant experience. :)

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

Value-for-money: 3.5/5

Food Review #3 - Canopy Garden Dining & Bar

Yesterday hubs and I (actually he) had a craving for breakfast...at about 2pm in the afternoon lol.

We wanted to go to Bishan Park the day before but didn't, so we decided to make a trip down to Bishan Park this time round. Wanted to go try GRUB, but it closed at 2.30pm so we headed to Canopy Garden Dining and Bar which is open all day.

Upon reaching there, we were pleasantly surprised as we were led to this outdoor but cool and sheltered area. There are patrons around who bring their pets (mainly dogs) along so if you're terrified of dogs this may not be the best place for you. Me, I'm a huge dog lover. Which explained why I got scratched by a gigantic Golden Retriever who was so friendly and full of love. :)

The restaurant is a nice chill out place. We saw couples, friends and families just sitting around, chatting and relaxing. There were quite a lot of patrons but everybody was just chilling that the atmosphere was relaxed and quite nice, really.

So the hubs had a craving for breakfast...but he ordered Crab Aglio Olio instead. Whereas me, I always love breakfasts, especially one that has bacon and sauteed mushrooms.

Crab Aglio Olio ($19)

I know right? It looks good doesn't it? Unfortunately, I didn't really like it very much, and neither did hubs because he took one bite and looked at me with puppy eyes and asked if we could exchange. LOL. We did finish the whole thing coz we were so hungry.

I like my Aglio Olio to be as basic as possible, perhaps that's why this didn't quite hit the spot. It had too much herbs and not enough garlic and pepper. I like my Aglio Olios with a bit of Oomph. It wasn't not nice, just not memorable. I probably wouldn't order it again the next time I'm there.

Grilled Breakfast ($18)

The breakfast, however was good! I loved every bit of the breakfast! :) Simple and wholesome. The scrambled eggs were done perfectly!

My only gripe about the place was the service. Service was really not fantastic. First of all, they gave me a fork and a spoon for the breakfast. No knife. Second, we ordered a toast basket that came with butter and jam but no butter knife. Third, the waiters were kind of snobby (ok this may be the paranoid me speaking) but I felt that one of them was particularly rude. Like he was at the bar doing his stuff, but when we ordered stuff or called for service he turned around and stared at us kind of like thinking we can't afford to eat there. I don't know man haha probably just me >_< Or maybe it's because we were in singlet and shorts and slippers lol coz we wanted a leisurely afternoon cycling session.

All in all, I would go back just for the food and relaxing atmosphere.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 2.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Canopy Garden Dining
Bishan Park II
Tel: 6556 1533