LemonGrass (Downtown East)

Had a craving for authentic Thai cuisine one day and decided to take full advantage of the 30% discount offered by UOB to try out this restuarant with my gf and Gwenn. Featured in Singapore Tatler's top restaurants 2007 as well, i had pretty high expectations when i stepped in.

Location: 1 Pasir Ris Close #01-41 Downtown East Singapore 519599

Contact: 6583-2112

Price Range: $25-$30 per head

Website: http://www.lemongrass.com.sg

The Walkway to Lemongrass

The Signboard

Interior

The interior was simple with wooden chairs reminiscent of Chinese coffee shops and cushioned seats along the walls. Worth noting were various Thai statues adorning the corners and multi colors 'fans' along the ceiling. Also to note was that there wasn't many people around when we arrived so there was no need to fight for any seats, the restaurant was packed by the time we left though.

Menu

Complimentary/ Compulsory Crackers ($2)

As we were awaiting the arrival of our friend, we promptly ordered everything we wanted for the day. The first item was this complimentary basket of vegetable crackers (or was it prawn crackers?) with Thai sweet and sour chilli sauce dip. The crackers were warm and very crispy, making it go really well with the dip.

Clear Tom Yam Soup ($12)

Any visit to a Thai restaurant would not be complete without an order of Tom Yam soup. I opted for the 'clear' version since spicy items make me pant with effort eating them. $12 serves up a small claypot filled with soup and assorted ingredients. The soup is spicy, sour and sweet with a full bodied seafood base. Appetising and satisfying.

Pineapple rice ($15)

A medium portioned pineapple rice is actually a very big serving. Generously sprinkled with dried and cooked shrimp, it is served in a pot in all its yellowish wonder. The rice nicely cooked but seems to lack the pineapple fragrance that is supposed to be a mainstay for this dish. Also, please note that only the regular sized portion has the item served in an actual pineapple skin.

Lemongrass Chicken ($14)

Lemongrass spring chicken actually tastes more like normal spring chicken to me. I couldn't make out the lemon grass taste but instead found the meat tough and having a strange tofu-like taste. The skin was crispy and nice though. Strange because i thought an item bearing the restaurant's namesake would be at least worthy but that is unfortunately not the case.

Hot Plate Beancurd ($12)

This was good. The sauce was sweet, tangy and a little sour but otherwise thick with minced meat and assorted vegetables. The beancurd was of the egg variety and had a very soft melt-in-your-mouth texture and a soft but firm outer skin. There was also egg beneath all that goodness and to top it all off, the item is hot from start to finish.

Green Curry Beef ($12)

Green colored curry with beef. The curry was not spicy in the least and had an overwhelming coconut milk taste. That said, the curry was thick and came with quite a generous serving of beef which had us picking it out long after we've finished the main mean items. Personally, i wouldn't order it again though.

Mango with Glutinous Rice ($8)

Having satisfied our hungers, we wanted something light for dessert and Gwen suggested we have a Thai dessert which is a must-have for any Thai cuisine fan. When it was served, i was pretty sure there was no room left for something as heavy as this but i was wrong. The mango was served warm with a strangely cold glutinous rice. The result of the combination is actually a very nice appetizing dessert that eventually was finished by a very stuffed trio of customers.

Bill

The bill worked out of be $64.85 for 3 people after a 30% discount. Not too much to ask for the food quantity and service.

Score:

Ambiance: 6/10
Relaxed and quiet but nothing eye opening about the place.

Food : 7.5/10
Thai cuisine is characterized by the unforgettable taste of chilli padi and also the flavours of lemongrass, of which though it is abundant here but seems toned down to suit local tastes.

Value for Money: 7/10
Items are generally around the range of $10 which is capable of serving 2 or more people.

Service : 6.5/10
Courteous staff but with one exception, the Indian male staff seemed to be a tad impatient with our ordering and requests but always delivers in the end. If only he could be less obvious about his impatience, otherwise, service is fast and friendly.

Portion Size: 7.5/10
Portion sizes were decent and worthwhile.

Overall: 6.9/10

Last Word:
A generally good experience with good tasting food and unforgettable tastes of Tom Yam and an interesting dessert. Could have been cheaper though. Without the 30% discount, this would have been a little too expensive.

Breakfast @ Pasir Ris (Misc Post)

Happened to be along Pasir Ris for an early breakfast with my gf and a friend i've not met in some time. Its nothing much but its a Singaporean breakfast i've missed for quite some time. Fried fritters, coffee, butterfly fritters and peanut pancakes. All within $10.

Where?: Pasir Ris 24 hour coffeeshop

Price: Less then $8 for 3 people.

Bad Coffee (60 Cents)

Why is it bad? Its not strong nor fragrant enough for a seasoned coffee drinker like myself and its too sweet with condensed milk but i suppose i'm asking too much at this point.

Vegetarian Stall

Fried Fritters (You Tiao) (50 cents each)

Butterfly Fritters (50 cents each)

Vegetarian by day, laksa and satay stall by noon. I almost couldn't locate this stall searching for these fritters. Introduced by Alvin when i came over for breakfast, i was pretty amazed by the fritters because they were fresh. The dough was crispy and fried moments before i ate it. I wasn't disappointed because thats exactly what i got, extremely fresh fried fritters. I bought $3 worth and none of us could finish it up because, after one and a half, the oil really starts to get to you. Eat this is moderation. The butterfly fritters were fragrant but not as good. Still, can't complain.

Peanut Pancakes ($2 for a box of 3 pieces)

Also fresh, the pancakes were made only when ordered. The outer skin is slightly crispy with the inner layer soft and spongy. Add the spread of roasted peanuts, sugar and ground peanut paste and you got one very popular peanut pancake stall. The difference between this and Mr Bean's rendition is, the peanut paste is much fragrant and definitely fresher. Although i don't deny that Mr Bean's rendition isn't all that bad either, in fact, its neater to eat since the paste doesn't drop all over the place, but nothing beats freshly made, piping hot and tasty pancakes. So for me, this one wins.

Score: 6.5/10 (7.5/10 for pancakes)

Last word: Maybe i'm just craving for nostalgia and the good old days when food was good and cheap and feels less manufactured. Something about a personal touch always gets to me. This isn't up to par yet, but will have to do until i do find something better.

Changing Appetites (Marina Square)

Changing Appetites. I remember a time long ago when their tag line was: "Japanese and Western fusion for the masses." but its been some time since that particular portion of history and now, the new tag line is: "The all American and Dessert Cafe" which is still mildly inaccurate due to the infusion of Mexican influenced items since early 2007.

Location: Marina Square #01-204 (Next to Carl's Junior)

Contact: 63397670

Price Range: $35 per head

Side View

Front View

Dessert Counter

Waffles anyone? Reserved for late owls only though

Menu

Magarita Counter

Relaxed, huge and cold would most probably pop into your minds when you see this place. Located along a stretch of food joints such as Carl's Junior, Cafe Cartel and Swenson's, it wouldn't be exaggerating to say that competition is stiff. It still managed to grab my attention over the more generic outlets available due to its bright colors and reasonable prices. And because it was one of the first places i brought my gf for a meal when we started out. Nostalgia abound.

Strawberry Frozen Magaritas ($10.90)

Big, that was the first thought when i saw this drink. I know places that charge higher prices but serve miserly portions of the drink. Strawberry bits were readily apparent from the outset but i'm not sure if concentrate was used instead of actual strawberries. However, i do know that it is not sweet enough so i'm guessing they used real strawberries in blending this concoction. The white outer layer is salt and believe me, you'll need it because the alcohol is pretty strong and generous as well. A good item if it was just a wee bit sweeter.

Boneless Shanghai Chicken ($8.90)

An appetizer i ordered out of curiousity which i was soon to rejoice because its very well done. Deep fried crispy chicken tossed with pineapple-citrus sauce and topped with sesame seeds. Its basically a cross between 3 different culinary disciplines since even wasabi mayo sauce is used for its dip. The result is a tender, crispy, sweet, sour, spicy and yet light tasting chicken which tastes better when everything is mixed together. Do try this.

Chicken And Mushroom ($16.90)

Another look with Tortillas

This dish came looking less glamorous then its menu picture showed which kinda turned my gf off a bit. Her request for more cheese also fell on deaf ears with our extremely forgetful waiter who seems unable to remember anything longer then 4 words. Taste wise, the chicken was rather bland and the cheese was not as strong as it could have been. However, wrap it in the flour tortillas, add a little sour cream and fill it up with onions, bell pepper, chicken and sauteed mushrooms and take another bite for a refreshed feeling of this item. Although not good enough to elevate it to a status where i would say it is delicious, it is at least better then when the items were taken individually. Not that i would order it again on my own though.

The Barbarian Burger ($20.90)

2x 200gm beef patties, dory fish fillet and sweet and spicy grilled chicken

An inside look at the juicy patties.

This is the main reason i keep returning to Changing Appetites. Despite being raised by $1 since my last few visits, this is still value for money regardless of how you slice it. 2 200gms of well marinated and totally compressed beef patties which even my gf said tasted good when she's not a beef lover, 1 dory fish fillet which is actually really small but tasty nonetheless and 1 spicy grilled chicken patty nestled within 2 slices of brown cereal bread, tomatoes, lettuce and onions. And finally, served with a huge serving of piping hot fries. I have personally tried to finish this item 4 times, with and without other items beforehand, and sad to say, i've never been able to finish it. The beef patty is where it is all at, marinated minced beef meat without further additions make it compact, tender, juicy and absolutely bursting with taste. Still one of the better patties i've had, at a rather hefty price i must admit but i say its still worth it. Do challenge yourself with it and let me know if you actually finish everything on your plate.

Cookie Monster Mudpie ($7.90)

Dessert was a cookie monster mudpie. Cookies and cream ice cream decked in hot chocolate fudge and sprinkled with oreo cookie crumbs. Sweet, sinful, slightly bitter and very tasty. The mudpie is as i remember it to be, smooth in texture, hard but easily cut away and melt-in-your-mouth tasty. Though i have to say, the best tasting mudpie i had was the complimentary watermelon mudpie i had during my previous visit. A shame it wasn't on the menu though.

Bill

To my surprise, a meal for 2 came up to $77. Which is quite a hefty sum for a total of 5 items. Although of course, whatever we had could have easily fed 3 young adults but i do miss the support of UOB promotions in this joint. *hint hint*

Score:

Ambiance: 7/10
Relaxed, easy to sink into but remember to bring a jacket as it is really cold in here.

Food : 8/10

The Barbarian burger is still the best item but the shanghai chicken is a close second right now. I'm pretty unhappy they took away the entire big eaters section from the menu as there were many items i have yet to try.

Value for Money: 7/10
A little pricier then before but still, the portions are generous and items of respectable quality.

Service : 6/10
Courteous staff but this particular staff simply kept forgetting our instructions, even our bill had to take more then 15 mins to come to us because he forgot. He also forgot our iced water, knife and fork, bill and request for more cheese. Retraining needed.

Portion Size: 7.5/10
For once, a place that gives generously and have good food to boot.

Overall: 7.1/10

Last word:
Not many places serve burgers as big as this place packing the same amount of taste. For a fusion restaurant, there are bound to be a few hits and misses in their items and honestly, i've seen my friend strike out in their fish and chips, my gf in their chicken and mushroom and her previous order of something associated with chicken as well. So i'd say their not all good but have certain good calls that are bound to please. Do give it a chance.

BlackBoard (Bedok)

"Looking for a budget eating corner? Lack of cash and still want big American portions of food such as Botak Jones beef burgers? Look no further! BlackBoard is your neighborhood friendly Western food fix!" At least, that is what i believe went through their minds when they started this franchise. Their actual tagline is : "We satisfy your cravings". Let's find out if thats true then.

Location: Blk 18 Bedok South Road #01-87 KK18 Makan Place

Contact: 96440094

Price Range: $10-15 per head

I was introduced to this place by Adrain san, who happens to live nearby and swears that this is one of the best eating places he has found in Singapore at present. (He's Japanese and a Singapore Judo Representative. Really cool, really big guy.)

KK Makan Place Blk 18

The Diamond in the Rough?

Namecard

Hidden in a derelict corner of a small coffee shop, its still easy to spot this rather slick looking sign in the middle of nowhere. From what i heard, the place usually sells out its food but we were pretty fortunate both times to have been able to secure a good seat and to get all our orders available.

Mushroom Soup ($2.80)

Their rendition of mushroom soup had little bits of mushrooms which is evident by the tiny black bits you see scattered throughout the soup. The cream was milky and rather thin which reminded me of Campbell's soup but a little tastier and more fragrant. My gf enjoyed this quite alot (She's a Katsu and mushroom affectionado.)

Garlic Bread ($2)

Served piping hot, crispy and smelling simply heavenly. Available in 6 thin slices for $2, this rendition was a quite good if not for the it being overly crispy due to over toasting as can be seen from the charred edges in the picture above. I prefer garlic bread a little moist as well but this came a little too dry.

Tuscan Fries ($2.50)

I really don't know what constitutes Tuscan fries but i love french fries. Heck, i'll even settle for Mcdonald's fries if the craving is in, but i do like my fries thick and i do prefer wedges over fries. These fries were served hot and steaming with some chilli powder or i suspect, msg sprinkled over them and honestly, they were not bad at all. Thick, sweet and a little spicy, it becomes an obsession the moment you start eating it. A word of caution though, most of the mains come with the same portion of fries so you are better off simply ordering a main course.

Blackboard Burger 300 gm patty ($6.80)

A close up and inside look

BB Burger 2 300 gm patties ($9.80)

Shown above is their signature dish, the Blackboard burger. Similar to the Botak Burger, it comes with huge beef patties but this rendition is slightly cheaper. Its not too difficult to see why either, from the first bite, you'll realise that the patty is made by mashing many things inside along with the beef. From the close ups, you can see carrots, radish and assorted other ingredients which give the burger a unique taste. The only problem is that this makes it taste drier than other beef burgers i've had before and diminishes the beef taste which i prefer. The double patty comes at a cheap top up of $3 and basically, this can be 2 meals instead of one. Its very filling to say the least. Taste wise, Botak burger and Changing appetites have the upper hand, but price wise, you'll be hard pressed to find another 300 gm beef patty at this price.

Buffalo Wings ($1.20 each)

Given the choice of spicy, extra spicy or mild, Blackboard's buffalo wings are definitely more fiery then the rest. (To me at least) We took the extra spicy option, which is basically spicy thai sauce. I'm pretty sure they had chili paddy in the concoction because your lips will burn long after the wings have settled in your stomach. Meat wise, this was tender and nicely marinated from the color and the reddish tinge of the meat inside. The skin was crispy as well making it a good appetizer. My gf easily took the spiciness while i struggled by drinking gallons of water, you have been warned.

Cajun Spice Chicken ($6.50)

Cross section

Order this and you'll get a generous piece of chicken thigh or breast which is thoroughly marinated and lightly pan fried. You'll also get a generous dose of Tuscan fries and some coleslaw to round up the package. I'm assuming that Cajun spices are influenced by Indian spices since i believe there is curry powder in the marinating. The chicken is quite literally soaked in the spices and exudes a fragrant and appetizing aroma. Meat was tender and easily cut apart as well and i love the fact that there are no bones for me to pick off. The cheese layer however did not add much to the flavor of the chicken and i didn't like the sauce that came with the dish. Still pretty decent though.

Fish and Chips Large($9)

I ordered this for my gf because i wanted to see what large looks like. Well, it indeed is large with 4 thick slices of fish deep fried to a golden brown and served sporting a standing ovation. Taste wise, the batter used in frying is very thick, such that we had to dig the meat out instead of eating the entire thing after one piece. The meat isn't much to shout about either but you can't complain about the portion size. $9 for batter though is not my idea of good fish and chips.

Score: 7/10

Last Word:
Honestly, food wise, the place is not exactly splendid but does have a certain charm and also comes at a really budget price. Compare it to a whole host of mediocre kopitiam offerings and this is a sure winner, but compare it to other similar outlets like Botak Jones or Uno Beef house and it doesn't score as high. Try it with an open mind and a minimal budget to judge for yourselves.