Coffee Club

Coffee club had its humble beginning in Holland Village as a 2 storey gourmet coffee house in 1991 and after 17 years in the business, have now grown to having 21 branches throughout Singapore. Its list of accomplishments include excellent food awards for 2001 to 2006 and achieving ISO and super brand awards in 2005/2006. As for myself, i've never tried coffee club because i was stuck in the idea of it being a coffee place, i was wrong however, do read on.

Location: White Sands Pasir Ris Central Street 3 #01-15

Contact: 65856438

Website: http://www.coffeeclubworld.com/

Is it a face or is it a cup?

Cosy seats

Cakes anyone?

Cosy and homely environments with cushion seats and ergonomically designed chairs. I've been to the place 3 times and after all that, i still found the place inviting. Definitely a plus in terms of atmosphere even though its located in a simple shopping mall. This is the kind of place i will hang out if i need to study and grab a reasonably good bite because the staff never chases you out and the place is just comfortable for discussions or just about anything.

Garlic Prawn Pasta ($12.90)

One of the dishes awarded the excellent food awards, this dish is a must try. It came with tomatos, onions, chili and garlic with a generous dose of crunchy, crispy and sweet prawns. This is a winner hands down. Even the spaghetti was less oily then others i've had before. I couldn't recommend this enough. Do try it!

Pastrami and Cheddar Cheese Sandwich ($9.90)

An Inside Look

A sandwich for dinner? Well, yes if you are on a diet and are on tight purse strings. Beef pastrami and caramelized onions in dijon musturd gives this sandwich a rather refreshing bite. Similar to Fre(n)sh chicken, the mustard is pretty strong so be warned. I did find the beef a tad tasteless but i'm just being picky.

Mudpie (Price unknown)

I forgot how much this is but honestly, after all the good food dishes, this turned out a little too simple for my liking. Sure, the mudpie is smooth, sweet and very chocolaty, but i expected a little better for dessert when its main dishes were so good. Tasty nonetheless.

Bill: I did not get the bill for this round as it was a treat from some friends who were in the neighborhood. Thanks people!!

Overall Score: 7/10

Wasabi Prawn Salad ($10.90)

Another award winning dish. The wasabi prawn salad was our appetiser on the second visit. Tossed salad with prawns and potatoes drenched in wasabi flavored mayonnaise. This was really quite good. I loved the wasabi which gave the dish more bite. The prawns however, were sliced in the middle which resulted in less crunch then i would like. Still, its worthy of its award and healthy to boot.

Smoked Salmon Garlic Cream Linguini ($12.90)

My gf had this and from the few bites i had, i can tell you i liked it. The salmon was fresh though a little salty. I like the fact that it has the smoky taste its name implied unlike others i've had elsewhere. The creamy garlic linguini is very aromatic and fragrant (to me at least, because i love garlic and creamy pastas) but did get overwhelming when taken in large quantities.

Bangers and Mash ($

Why settle for one sausage when you can have 3? Chicken, bratwurst and cheddar cheese sausages atop a bed of mashed potatoes with a tomato thrown in for further measure. The sausages, unfortunately, fell short apart from the cheddar cheese sausage which tasted a little special. Everything else was just average.

Bill

This visit cost me $36.86 for 2 mains and a starter. I wouldn't say it was expensive since most of the food was of a decent quality.

Overall Score: 6.5/10 (this visit only)

Beef, Bacon and Pistachio terrine Salad ($10.20)

This is a mixed bag. I like the salad because it came with dijon mustard as usual but wasn't quite taken with the beef meatloaf used to wrap the pistachio. The beef was too dry basically and the only thing good about it was the bacon. Thus, my conclusion is, order once, never order again.

Seafood Lasagna ($13.00)

Before i start, let me say this, i don't like lasagna. The only reason i ordered was due to the promise of generous amounts of seafood. And fortunately, they delivered on the promise. Lots of mussels, prawns and squid adorn the dish. I didn't like the tomato sauce or the lasagna in general however, and it really starts getting overwhelming after a few bites. Thank goodness i had the Alfredo to balance things out below.

Alfredo ($10.80)

Ham, cheese, mushrooms and shell shaped pasta. It doesn't get any simpler but its still a perfectly delectable dish (what can i say? I like cream pastas). It served to balance the tomatos taste from the lasagna and definitely was the better of the 2 main dishes.

White Chocolate Parfait With Berry Sorbet ($6.80)

The first service blunder they made was with this dessert, they actually served it while we were having our appetiser. Whereby i promptly told them to serve it later since i'm not about ready to have dessert that early in the meal. The obliged but when it came time to have my dessert, i found that it had pockets of air and was already melting, meaning they served me the same parfait they took out in the beginning. Needless to say, the dessert didn't quite measure up. The berry sorbet was good, sour and sweet at the same time. The chocolate however, was too filled with air and melted to give a good impression. Pity.

Bill

The bill this time came up to $43.22. There has been a change of menu and an increase in price of about 50 cents for each dish.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Last word:
Service has been consistently good at this branch and my questions were usually met with good answers. The food is definitely of a certain standard but as usual, there are hits and misses in the menu. Some of the hits have been removed from the menu unfortunately and the new menu is definitely pricier. Still a good place to chill out and have a reasonable meal though.

Jia Xiang Kuching Restaurant

The name literally means 'home town' which should be referring to Kuching in general. Pardon my ignorance but i've never been to Kuching and personally, have not heard anything from that particular part of the world, so i don't know if these noodles are indeed a local delicacy.

Location: 1 Habourfront Walk #B2-38 Vivocity

Contact: 6272 0000

Price Range: $10-15 per head

Ordering Counter

I can't quite decide if the place is a food court or a restaurant since the ordering was done at counters and service is given when you are served the food. Either way, service was pleasant and you are not charged for it so no complaints here.

Fish Soup ($8)

Now why did i order a fish soup here? Hmm...most probably because there were only 2 people eating and i'm trying to put more stuff in my blog. Oh! The sacrifices ones makes for blogging. Tsk tsk. The soup is salty but good. Fish slices aplenty and we managed to gulp down half a bowl even after the noodles so its a good thing. For $8 though, i would rather get another bowl of noodles.

Abalone and Wanton

Kolo Mee Gold Set ($8.90)

The prized kolo mee and the aforementioned hometown noodles. My take is that its normal at best. the noodles were reminiscent of instant noodles and as such, tasted springy and soft. $8.90 gives you fake abalone and wanton with some char siew, minced meat and fried wanton thrown into the mix for added variety. The first time i had it, it was a refreshing experience, subsequent visits didn't yield as much satisfaction though.

Bill

The bill sealed the deal at $27.60 for 2 bowl of noodles, 1 fish soup and 1 hot milo. Too expensive given the rather lackluster quality.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

Last Word:
I like the idea of getting abalone at $8 but the quality of abalone is definitely suspect (try one and you'll know what i mean). The cost of producing a bowl of noodles is also definitely not what we paid for so i'm probably not returning. Good for a first try, bad for the wallet and repeats.

Fre(n)sh

Hidden in a little corner in big ole Vivocity is this little gem of a restaurant. "Fresh and French" is the tagline and i'm most inclined to agree with it because in retrospect, that is exactly what you get.

Location: 1 Harbourfront Walk Vivocity #01-163

Contact: 63768005

Your Little Signboard

Counter

The interior is small and probably sits about 16 people max. Color palette is more or less sombre white with plastic and wooden chairs. The important thing i believe is that it is clean and that is more important than all the decorations a restaurant can pile up.

Uncomfortable looking chairs

They look nice of course but i wouldn't bet on how comfortable it will be to be sitting on top one of these chairs trying to enjoy my meal, needless to say, i was sitting somewhere else for my lunch.

A tattered looking menu

Drinks! Apple Juice and Lime Juice

For the tartine set, you get a drink, a tartine and a dessert. No gst and no service charge is a definite plus point and honestly, the service was pretty good.

Salmon and Avocado Tartine ($16)

My gf ordered the salmon and avocado tartine which is basically, toasted bread with avocado and smoked salmon and some salad. Do not let the picture fool you, this is not a small piece of bread at all. The serving size is huge and as you can see, ingredients are generous as well. Salad wasn't anything special but the tartine itself is plain good. Warm toasted bread with cool and slightly salty smoked salmon atop a bed of creamy avocado. I feel like going back for more right about now actually.

Fre(n)sh Chicken Tartine ($16)

Judging by its namesake, this is probably a signature item. And apart from the same qualities of freshness and warm toasted bread, it came with roasted chicken and sliced potatoes atop a bed of mustard and rosemary. What can i say? Its spicy and very different from what i've had before. You can liken it to having chicken and potatoes with Japanese wasabi as a base. My only complaint is that the chicken is a little too dry, otherwise, i like this quite a bit.

Opera

Presentation is a definite plus for this with its eiffel tower chocolate and snowy sugar sprinklyed for added effect. The opera is supposed to be 2 repeated layers of chocolate, coffee and cake but i couldn't taste the coffee at all. It was also dry which doesn't win it many points unfortunately. Could have been loads better.

Original Cheese Cake

I wondered what 'original' meant in this rendition but it basically means generic. Its not bad tasting mind you. Its just that it tastes pretty much like every other cheesecake out there.

Bill

The bill came to only $32 for 2 people! Imagine my surprise at the fact that there were no additional charges. This place is a must try for the fact that its value for money.

Overall Score: 7.75/10

Last Word:
If they can survive with charging service and gst charges and they are located at Vivocity, i really don't see why other restaurants can't. And otherwise, in all regards, this place serves good, healthy food which will have me returning for more whenever i'm in the vicinity. Must try.

New York Pizza

Talk about pizza in Singapore and the first name to jump at you will be Pizza Hut. However, there are quite a variety of other offerings out there yet to be noticed or even recommended. Most are targeted at niche markets instead of the usual crowd and honestly, i think Pizza Hut is charging a little too much these days. In comes New York Pizza, more casual and easy going then Pizza Hut, and also decidedly Halal so it can be enjoyed by even more people. Lets have a bite and find out if its a contender shall we?

Location: Century Square #01-38B

Contact: 62600060

Price range: $7 - 12 per head

The Storefront

Simple and gets the job done. The location is alfresco and thats about all there is to it. I wasn't very happy that i'd have to stay in the sun and get all comfy with it and the fact that there's a noticeable waiting time of about 10 minutes after you order makes it look less palatable.

The container

Do not let the picture fool you. This is not a small piece of pizza at all. To put it in perspective, think about the length of pizza huts biggest pizza and you get the idea of how long this is.

Queens Meal = Pepperoni Pizza + Chicken Wing + Pepsi ($6.90)

Queens meal, nice name though it belies the actual fact that its quite simply a big piece of pepperoni pizza with green pepper, pepperoni and bits of beef. The pizza itself is pretty big and can be split into 4 further pieces for consumption. Its crust is reasonable but very crunchy and crispy which is a refreshing change from pizza huts rather flour filled pizzas. The toppings weren't much to shout about however and i soon got sick of the same taste it offered. The chicken wing was strangely fragrant and sweet, not to mention piping hot.

Hawaiian Pizza Meal ($6.90)

Its crust is alike with the pepperoni version which i suppose is the determining factor and difference it is bringing to the scene. Crunchy but a little overdone such that you could see the charred portions from over baking. The Hawaiian pizza is a little too sweet and easily overwhelmed after more then 3 bites into it. The ingredients used were also a little miserly when compared to other pizza places i got to try.

Bill

The lunch came up to $13.80 which can't be considered expensive. We did get very sick of the pizza after our 2 helpings so i don't think i will be returning.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

Last Word:

I actually tried the place a long time ago when it first started. During that time i had the fish and chips and also tried its pizza burger. Both were pretty good and the fish and chips in particular had a wonderful fresh taste to it. During this visit, the machine was spoiled and thats why we settled for its less then optimal pizzas. Well, i wouldn't know if the fish and chips are any good now since i probably won't try it again. If anyone else tries, let me know if it tastes good alright? Cheers!

Eighteen Chefs

Eighteen Chefs takes after Brit Celebrity Jamie Oliver's Restaurant Fifteen in the sense that the concept is very much alike. Both offer jobs for juvenile delinquents and both are supposed serve up great tasting Western/Italian cuisine. This is more than a coincidence however, since executive chef Benny Se Teo did go through a month-long internship with the said British lad for pointers. Did it pay off though?

Location: 3 Simei Street 6 #01-36 Eastpoint Mall

Contact: 67821298

Something tells me i'm not the first to review this place

Namecard

Eye catching mural

This huge, colorful and eye-catching mural is painted by ex offenders and serves as the basis to the spirit of the cafe. Good food from people you wouldn't have thought much about. Its a heart warming testament to the fact that all people can be good as long as you give them a chance. I'm not complaining, in fact i like what they are doing by giving people a second chance.

Bill

Over here, you choose your meal and pay your bills first. The meal comes later. Cold water is free but you'll have to get it yourself. The overall atmosphere of the place is relaxed and very easy to get into. The bill was $35.10.

Daily Specials Soup and Garlic Bread

The humble cream of mushroom soup and garlic bread comes with the daily specials meal. Cream of mushroom is pretty standard fare, which is to say there isn't anything about it that distinguishes itself as being extraordinary or overly exciting about it. The garlic bread, on the other hand, was done nicely with it being crispy, lightly buttered and soft at the same time. The serving size was also respectable but still had us craving for more bread after we were done with it.

Half Baby Lobster with Seafood Linguine ($18.90)

This was my first visit and i was attracted to his daily special. As you can see, it comes with a fresh half baby lobster, a handful of prawns, mushrooms, garlic and quite a bit of olive oil sprinkled over a bed of linguine. What you don't see is that this is a spicy dish, possibly due to a generous dose of tobasco sauce. Its difficult to go wrong when ingredients used are fresh and this is what is provided here. Crunchy prawns, juicy mushrooms, sweet lobster meat. Its difficult not to like this dish. The serving wasn't the least bit scrimped on as well, being enough for a big sized guy like myself. Even the olive oil used was minimal enough to keep the linguine suitably moist without seeming to overflow like other restaurants i've tried. (Recommended)

Cheese baked mussels and black pepper fries, onion and calamari rings ($13.90)

Black pepper fries, onion and calamari rings? Thats a first for me. Either way, interesting as it is, i found it a tad soggy and would have liked it better if it was crispier. Still, no denying that the black pepper did introduce an interesting dimension to the tired formula. It was strangely sweet too. There was a grand total of 6 cheese baked mussels of the male and female variety. It was different, the cheese made the dish fragrant and the mussels were sweet and fresh but the serving is a little too small for my tastes. This could have been a side dish, not a main meal. Could be improved upon by adding a little more items into the mix.

Yam Ice Cream

Looks can be deceiving. Despite the small size and lack of garnishing whatsoever, this ice cream is creamy, bursting with yam taste and very refreshing after a meal. A good end to a generally good meal.

Bill

On my second visit, we ordered the crab and his normal baked rice offering. Benny also offered the soup of the day this time and we got an additional bowl for free. Personalized service is always good. The meal this time cost us $33.50.

Cheese and Chili Baked Crab Claw ($15.90 only on Wednesdays)

The soup is as per normal, simple but gets the taste buds moving. Benny offered his Wednesday special this time around because reservations are needed to enjoy this dish. Seeing that he's such a sport and good host, we took his offer to try out the chili crab. The meal comes with 5 fried buns and 1 crab claw, albeit a huge one. Maybe my love for crabs are waning or i'm just getting lazy, i simply don't like to get my hands dirty breaking crab shells anymore. The buns went very well with the cheese and chili, which was moderately spicy. The crab was sweet and firm but it wasn't enough to get me full and i was expecting the entire crab, not a claw. Interesting dish though i won't order it in future.

Black Pepper Seafood Pasta ($12.90)

My gf had this dish and i found it much better then the crab actually. Generous servings of mussels, prawn and calamari on a bed of black pepper baked rice. As with anything cooked in black pepper, the rice was fragrant and a little spicy with a tinge of sweetness. The ingredients are still fresh and crunchy and overall taste is very good. I did find the rice insufficient this time round though. For the price, i'd like to have a bigger serving of rice and food. Presentation for baked rice is secondary, serving size and taste should come first.

Overall Score: 7/10

Last Word:
Benny was trained in Zhi Ca before opening this quaint little establishment and it shows in the way he melds classic crab cooking techniques in his renditions of baked rice. The results are refreshing dishes which somehow taste familiar. My take is that the daily specials meal are more bang for the buck as opposed to the normal offerings of baked rice. A quick research shows that he has a few other tricks up his sleeve i've yet to try like the black pepper crab baked rice. If he shells it for me, i'll probably try it, but if not, i'm sticking with the daily specials. The spirit of the restaurant is good, the food is decent, the price can be improved upon though.

Eden Cafe Pt 3

Eden Cafe, by now, you should have heard about it from either the television, the newspaper, the radio or from a variety of blogs online. Pioneered by Clement Ng for his passion for floral cuisine, Eden has gotten many rave reviews and some not-so-good ones as well. No matter, Yebber had its little gathering there and many were present to enjoy it. You can view my previous visits here and here.

Price per head: $40 MTO (made to order)

Just a slight diversion here.

The Ultra Desirable Iphone

Mr Kilkenny brought his Iphone to the party! Woo hoo. I have to say the phone is sleek and definitely sexy. Upon his demo of the functionalities and messaging capabilities, i was pretty much hooked. The additional mp3 capabilities and movie screen, internet and dairy functions make it look more attractive every minute. Gotta get my hands on one of it when i comes. My only gripe is the lack of memory space it had but i'm sure that'll be changed pretty soon.

And now, back to the review proper.

Table Ornaments

Edible Flowers

Eden's Garden

Door Gifts

Interior

Yebber Party

Clement and Yebber obviously went through some effort to do up the place for a nice Christmas like feeling to suit the season. And i do applaud their effort for providing a nice atmosphere for the event. Complete with mistletoes and door gifts, the feeling was homely and just right.

Rose Petal Brownie with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ($5.90)

Why is dessert the first dish? Simple, due to miscommunication and some really late comers, we had to settle for something to start the meal. I've an insatiable sweet tooth and that is why this comes in first. It came looking like a winner and it is a winner. The brownie is warm and moist with it being mildly sweet and a tad bitter. Add in rose petals and thick cream filled ice cream and it was enough to satisfy my day. I could have just had this and felt good actually.

Black Sesame Mushroom Pasta

As Clement puts it: "For this dish, you either love it or hate it." I have to say i lean towards the latter. Although i applaud the effort taken to prepare it (you actually see the service staff squeezing it out of some contraption) but taste-wise, it doesn't quite cut it for me. The texture was a mixed bag as well and i found the lemon based sauce and cheese didn't quite complement each other.

Tomato Based Seafood Soup

I was quite surprised this dish didn't receive further attention to its presentation but then again, how well can you make a tomato based soup look? The soup was thick with mashed vegetables and tomatoes and came with 1 mussel and 1 prawn each. Overall, i found it a little bland in taste this time around albeit i'm sure it is a reasonably healthy dish.

Endives With Mushroom and Bacon Canapes

Fresh, tasty and healthy. This is one refreshing appetiser that is easy to enjoy. Tasty fungi is difficult to find i think. Only gripe? Please upsize the serving for this please. One is never enough!

Floral Wine Tea

Based on previous experiences, wine tea actually tastes pretty good. I didn't get to have this one this time however.

Seedless Grape Chicken

Another Look

Another signature dish, this time in sampler portions. The dough casing is even harder then before and totally inedible. However, this chicken inside is definitely an improvement with its juices locked in well. As usual, more would have been better.

Rosemary Garlic Beef

I found the beef a little tough this time around, but the rosemary garlic sauce is delectable. Makes the dish still desirable in my books.

Lemon Garlic Snow Fish

Snow fish or Cod with pan fried with lemon and garlic. To me, cod by itself is already a delicacy so additional garnishing either enhance it to super stardom or spoils the dish. This, however, was neither. The cod was a tad dry but sweet nonetheless and the lemon garlic almost overwhelmed the taste of the prized fish. Good but not quite for me.

Balsamic Strawberry Beef

This i loved. Simple. Balsamic beef tastes a little like beef soaked in vinegar before it was cooked. What can i say? I love both beef and vinegar. And the best part? The beef was tender and of a respectable size. Definitely worth a try. The strawberry seems like an after thought though.

Hibiscus CheeseCake And Balsamic Black Pepper Mousse Cake

I've had both of these before so it wasn't too special to me. The balsamic mousse cake was Clement's 'mystery cake' which i had during the mooncake festival. It generally tastes like cheese cake with a little spice added to the taste. The hibiscus cheesecake retains its sourish and sweet taste that still makes it a hit in the restaurant.

Chocolate Brownie And Wine Tea Floral Fruit Jello With Strawberry

Chocolate brownie is the same one i had at the start of the meal but it wasn't heated and it didn't look as pretty. Taste wise, it just doesn't have as much impact as the full item in the beginning. The wine tea jello is pretty interesting, essentially combining the wine tea into a jello form for consumption. I personally didn't find it very appealing however.

Bill

The bill for 25 people came to $1100 dollars which is quite a fair bit but does feel justified somewhat since everyone generally had good time. The meal did take 5 hours to pan out though.

Overall Score: 7.25/10

Last Word:
Is Eden any good? Yes it is. There are still some winners in the menu and Clement is constantly coming out with new items to add. His service is personalized and friendly as well as long as you are his customers. When all is said and done, Eden is still one of the better restaurants out there. Homely, cheerful, nonplussed and serves good food. Now if only Clement would lower the price and give bigger portions, i'll bring armies there for lunch and dinner.