PotLuck Claypot Cuisine

Its been a long time since i had Claypot Rice, somehow, it seems to have disappeared from mainstream cuisine so much so that its difficult to locate a decent place to have this old tradition. I have, however, long heard of a shop that specializes in claypot cuisine somewhere along East Coast Road and that's where we went.

Location: 723 East Coast Road

Price Range: $17 per head

The Large Neon Sign

Proof of its Pedigree?

Dessert Counter

Simple Interior

More Interior Shots

Simple, unassuming and boring would most probably describe the restaurant. The tables were sparsely located using a yellowish color scheme and round tables of different sizes. Clearly a place designed for big gatherings and get-togethers as there were only a handful of tables designed for less then 4 people. The impression was also not helped by the fact that at dinner time, there was only a handful of patrons in the restaurant, a clear sign of decline? Nevertheless, we pressed on.

Pickles ($1)

Complimentary starters or should i say compulsory starters? Either way, the pickles were sour and did their job of whetting my appetite. Paying for it didn't help my impression though.

Handmade Beancurd with Seaweed, Mushrooms and Vegetables ($8)

The bean curb was soft but not smooth on the inside, it didn't help that the only taste it had came from the soy sauce base below which made it extremely salty. The same goes for the tasteless mushrooms and horribly cut vegetables. Its pretty obvious they did not spend alot of time getting this to the table.

Yam Ring ($12)

Yam rings are one of my favourite dishes when its done right and their rendition is the perfect example of a yam ring done seriously wrong. The cashew nuts were a little soggy, prawns were not fresh enough to be sweet nor crunchy and the chicken meat was tasteless. However, mediocre fillings aside, the greatest disappointment of the day is the yam ring itself. Notice the second shot depicting the insides of the yam ring? The was no yam. The ring has obviously been fried so many times that the yam has charred and disappeared, even then, they dared to serve it to the customers. Horrible.

Claypot Rice ($10)

The star of the day, the claypot rice i came for. This was at least decent. Fragrant and soft rice cooked in claypot and stirred in our presence. The chicken was also decidedly tender and sweet which helped ease my unhappiness a little. The best part of the rice is the wok hei present near the bottom of the claypot. Unhealthy yet delectable. This dish is at least worthy of the commercial review it garnered.

Bill

The bill came up to $34 for 2 people which is alot more then i was willing to pay for given the horrible quality of the initial offerings.

Overall Score: 6/10 (For claypot rice only. 1/10 for the horrible yam ring and 5/10 for the beancurd)

Last Word:

I would have enjoyed the meal if all i ordered was the claypot rice. In fact, i would say going for the rice alone is worth it but anything else is a serious waste of money. That said, my recommendation is still, not to visit because the money is better spent elsewhere.

Sakae Teppenyaki

Sakae sushi recently branched out to the Teppenyaki business in their first all out table top cooking outlet at Tampines Century Square. Boasting 33 outlets all over Singapore, the green frog logo has more or less solidified its presence and made a handsome profit. So how does the Teppenyaki outlet fare?

Location: Century Square Basement #1-31

Price Range: $26 per head

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

The Counters

Our Chef of the Day

Located directly opposite Sakae sushi, the new outlet is surrounded by tanks carrying live lobster, oysters and crayfish. There were about 3 cooking counters which can hold up to 24 customers at any one time. Everything looks clean and well distributed.

Soy sauce, garlic, spring onions and chilli powder

Classic Juice ($4)

Ordering drinks usually come across as a big no-no for me when i visit restaurants due to cut-throat prices and generally bad tasting drinks. Not this time though, the juice is delightfully refreshing with the stronger taste of peach complimenting the lighter tasting apple juice. I have been scouring department stores ever since for this beverage, anyone with information on this please let me know.

Vegetable salad with crab meat, seaweed and assorted greens

The complimentary appetizer was light and fresh with crunchy greens like lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. Not too bad but nothing special either.

Normal Japanese Rice

This is just simple sticky Japanese rice. However, it is possible to ask for garlic fried rice which would prove to be a much better choice as we witnessed it fried with butter, garlic, bean sprouts and eggs. The result was pretty pleasing for the nose but we unfortunately did not have that. Oh! This is at additional charge of course.

Pan Fried Salmon and Garlic Fried Beef Tenderloin

Mayonnaise Oyster and Pan Fried Foie Gras (Goose Liver)

Chawan Mushi and Toufu

Pan Fried Chicken Cubes in Teriyaki Sauce and Wild Shittake Mushrooms

The above are shots taken as the items were cooked and placed on my plate. The completed picture is below.

The Completed Chicken Set ($17.90)

My gf had the chicken set and basically, i got to try almost everything. The chicken cubes were sweet and fragrant but a little on the tough side when chewing. The salmon is really hard and hardly held much taste which is a stark contrast from the toufu which was a tad too salty and the oyster, which is the most delightful of the lot, fresh and sweet. The mushrooms compensated the lack of bean sprouts and were soft, fragrant and chewy at the some time.

The Completed Beef Set ($19.90)

The beef set came with a generous helping of beef which i perceive as tenderloin since there is a distinct layer of fat present in it. The goose liver is smooth and evenly pan fried to goodness but compared to Humble house and Zambuca, they have a long way to go. Toufu and mushrooms are the same as the above and the Chawan Mushi was very good. It was smooth, fresh and sweet because we saw the ingredients as it was prepared. Nicely done.

Bill

A rather satisfying Teppenyaki meal if i do say so myself only came at the cost of $51.32. Not too expensive but if the location could be improved on a little more, this might be worth another look.

Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
The variety it offers in the set meals are a refreshing take on a tired Teppenyaki menu. Still, you can't fault them for being innovative. I would describe this as a fusion of old school cooking with new world tastes. The question to be had is whether this gives them an edge over the competition who relies on not changing to meet demands. My answer to that is: Wait and see. I can't say i didn't enjoy the meal but somehow it still feels like something is lacking. Probably the posh feeling or maybe i just prefer ala carte ordering. Still, worth a look for budget consumers.

AzaBu Soba (Hokkaido Ice Cream)

Ice cream, who doesn't love a good ice cream in the middle of a hot day to soothe the heat and calm our high strung nerves? This is exactly what i was hoping to achieve when i tried out this little ice cream outlet at Plaza Singapura on this hot and humid day.

Location: Plaza Singapura Basement 1 (main outlet @ Marina Square)

Price: 2 scoops cone ice cream @ $5.80

The Assortment of Flavors

Hard @ Work

Tiramisu and Green Mint with Chocolate

Different is how i would describe the experience i had. The green mint tasted very strong and strangely 'clean', meaning it tastes pretty much like toothpaste which hits the spot for me since its such a hot day. Tiramisu, on the other hand tasted like a mixture of fat free chocolate and coffee together which did not reconcile with my idea of how tiramisu should taste like. The cone was horrible and very bland, lacking in flavors or any taste whatsoever. These were my initial impressions along with my gf.
After i got home and did some research however, i realized the reason why the ice cream tasted so different is due to the focus on health instead of taste. That is why the ice cream tastes wierd, because of the minimal use of milk or cream in them. Azabu Soba is a health based tea house concept developed in Japan and currently spread throughout the Asian region. The main outlet at Marina Square is said to serve good and healthy food according to online reviews which i just might try out again one day.

Overall Score: 6/10 (Based on initial impressions of ice cream)

Last Word:
Health concept shops are all the rage these days since people are realizing that a huge variety of food outlets are serving junk food in order to cash in on the growing food industry. Though the ice cream does not cater to the majority in terms of taste, i still applaud their aim to bring a healthier dimension to the food industry. That is the only reason for me to dine at their main outlet one day. Hopefully, the food there is off a better standard then their ice cream.

Zan's @ Serangoon Gardens

Owing to a comment from Claudia who said she got addicted to a western food stall across the street instead of Aston's, i paid a visit to Serangoon gardens yet again to ascertain if it actually qualifies as a competitor to Aston's Specialties.

Location: Serangoon Garden's RK Eating House

Price Range: $7 per head

Free Soup and Garlic Bread

Clean and Open

Random Shot

Milo Dinosaur ($2)

Ordered this on a whim to try it out but it turned out to be ridiculously expensive. The preparation process is rather simple as well. Get hot water, add milo and milk till it saturates, add ice and pile lots of milo on top. I have no idea what possessed me to pay $2 for this but it is definitely not worth it.

Tomato Soup with Garlic Toast (Free)

Free stuff is always good. And here we got ourselves some warm tomato soup and garlic bread. The bread was your run-of-the-mill garlic bread which really isn't worth mentioning and but pairing it with the soup does give it a decent taste. Not too bad but not good either.

Grilled Sirloin Steak ($8.80)

After the mediocre appetizer, the main course is served. At its price, the sirloin was a decent size and thickness but that is about all its redeeming features. I specifically asked for medium rare, which is the only way i have steak and what i got was undoubtedly a 'well done' steak. What this means is that the steak loses its fibrous texture and is overcome with a tougher meat texture that makes you chew that much more. Not that there was much taste to go with it, the pepper sauce covers just about everything and i can't taste much of my steak, it could be chicken for all i know. The sides, which are fixed, aren't worth mentioning.

Grilled Chicken Chop ($6.80)

My dad had a better choice. The chicken chop is slightly charred and had a smoky taste. The mushroom sauce added a certain dimension to the taste as well. The meat is tender and juicy enough to be worth a mention.

Fish and Chips ($5.80)

A cross section

The fish and chips were lightly breaded and had a thin layer of batter, which is good. The meat however, lacked bite nor taste but the portion size is decent and worthwhile. It was also less oily then expected and for better or worse, its the most worthwhile item of the night and seriously, that isn't saying much.

The bill

At $22 for 3 people, this is a very affordable combination considering it came with free soup and garlic bread. We also walked away rather filled though taste wise, its more then a little forgettable.

Overall Score: 5.75/10 (Considering food quality only)

Last Word:

Below average and not in contention for the western food title at Serangoon Gardens, Aston's Specialties, though looking less glamorous and costing a fair bit more, is still more worth a visit if taste matters to you as much as it does to me. Claudia, time to try Aston's out to find out what you have been missing.

The Donut Factory

Finally, we get down to business and do a write up on none other then the coveted Donut Factory. Currently available in only 2 locations in town, this orange box means you've either lined up for 2 hours or more for your favorite little fried pastry. I'd like to reiterate once again, i am not a donut lover and asking me to line up for 2 hours for a donut is a suggestion bordering on insane. However, i did find a smaller queue on this very fortunate day and so, we queued, waited and scored!

Website: http://donutfactory.com.sg/

Menu

Box Close Up

The Elusive Orange Box

12 Assorted Donuts @ $12.50

Another View

After an astonishingly long wait of...... 15 minutes (!!!!), i got my hands on a huge assortment of donuts from this famous and much talk about pastry chain. That's right, 15 minutes was all it took and thats a far cry from what i've been told. Even better, most of the flavors were present, i bought 2 boxes of 12 and the other box had the Double Chocolate flavor, which is deemed one of the most popular items.
Anyway, as of present, i have tasted 2 flavors with the third gone before i could try. They are the peanut butter glazed donut, the Raspberry dark chocolate and the spicy cheese flavored donut.

Peanut butter glazed donut has a generous filling of peanut butter within and has a nice glazed surface of sugar which really enhances the taste but may come across as a tad too sweet for some.
The raspberry dark chocolate tasted normal in the beginning as i couldn't make out the dark chocolate nor raspberry taste. Its saving grace came about halfway through the donut when its thick, sweet and sour raspberry filling oozed out for a satisfying spin on the taste.
Finally, the spicy cheese flavored was devoured by my mom very quickly while she kept exclaiming how fragrant and tasty it was as compared to the other donut company i've been reviewing.
Across the board, i believe the main difference in their offerings is the quality of the dough. It was uniformly softer and less porous when compared to other donuts i've had at this point. The fillings it offers also packs a stronger punch as compared to other would be imitators. Delightful!

Overall score: 7.25/10 (After considering a 15 minutes waiting time, score will drop significantly with longer waiting times.)

Last word:
Does it live up to the hype? In terms of donuts, the answer is a resounding YES.
Can waiting 2 hours for its donuts be justified? Unfortunately, i would say no. At least not for the flavors i've had thus far. Donuts are known for being quick munchies and for stemming pangs of hunger, they are not known as a luxury item that demands a long waiting time. =P I suppose the next donut comparison will probably be the original Dunkin Donuts in USA. Till then, the Donut Factory can tide you over till you get the real thing.

Donut Donut (Hougang Central) Pt 2

A quick follow up on this little pastry outlet as promised. For a view of my previous comments, please click here.

Location: Blk 810 Hougang Central #01-234

Contact: 63870787

Cheese Donuts ($1.40 each)

The assorted list ($6 for 6)

If you remember from my previous post, i was quite optimistic about what this little outlet offered and promised to visit it again soon. Well, here it is!
I had a go at the more expensive cheese donut and was quite disappointed by it as i found the dough a little hard this time around and i couldn't justify why sprinkling cheese bits on top and having cheese vanilla flavored cream on the inside increases the price of it by another 20 cents from its other offerings. From there, everything went downhill as i tried once again, the mocha flavored donut, dark chocolate coated donut and the white chocolate donut. Somehow, i can sum the whole experience up as dull after a few bites as everything starts to blend into one familiar flavor. I also began to feel the dough isn't aromatic enough and finally, i've decided i probably would not patronize the place further as their offerings remain largely the same throughout with little to no surprises at this point.

Overall score: 5/10

Last word:
I would like to apologize to anyone who did try this place out because in the end, it really isn't very good. In fact, their donuts are only slightly above average and a good way to put it is that it is simply a flashier version of normal coffee shop pastries that is riding on the success of The Donut Factory. Next write up, The Donut Factory.