Lemon Grass Part 2

It was about 1 year ago that i've visited Lemon Grass and now i'm back to have another authentic thai meal. You can refer to my previous visit here.

In terms of taste, this place still stands as one of the better thai restaurants i've been to in Singapore.
For this visit, the thai fried fish is the star of the day. The meat is soft and tender even though its fried and the chili sauce that accompanied it was superb. Extremely spicy and this got my parents pretty impressed. Definitely worth a try. The rating remains the same as per my previous visit.

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe (Whitesands)

Open 24 hours on the weekends and till 2am on weekdays, Xin Wang HK cafe has opened 10 separate outlets in Singapore since its inception in 2007 and has also expanded its operations overseas.

Location: Pasir Ris Central Street 3 #01-14 Singapore 518457

Contact: 65833611

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

Price range: $10-20 per head

Cold Water ($0.40++)

For the record, i really dislike paying for water at a restaurant. Its water, in Singapore, the tap water is safe for drinking so yeah, paying for water is a bad idea.

Seafood Hor Fun ($9.80)

The seafood hor fun came with generous portions of squid, shrimps and beansprouts. Its a little salty but otherwise, rather decent.

Shrimp Roll ($2.50)

Oily and very crispy but tasty and sinful in equal measure.

Custard Bun ($2.50)

There's too much dough and not enough custard in these buns. Add the fact that its extremely oily and you have the recipe for disaster.

Pork Chop Baked Rice

The pork chop baked rice is a mixed bag. On one hand, i like the cheese and sourish tomato sauce mixed with rice, on the other hand, the pork chop is too tough to bite. Add them together for an average dish.

Bill

The bill after discount and a voucher to have a free main course of the same value turned up at $17.85.

Ambiance: 6.5/10
Service: 6/10
Food: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overal Score: 6/10 (not an average)

Last word:

It wasn't a bad meal by any chance but the full value of that meal would have been $30 if it included the cost for the pork chop baked rice. And i really wouldn't find paying that amount worthwhile.

Ubin First Stop Seafood

Ubin first stop seafood resides right behind the nefarious open air carpark at Changi Point. If you're in the vicinity to grab a quick bite or have a nice time, be sure to display your parking coupon or prepare to face the consequences. You can, however, park illegally right next to the carpark with no penalties as far as i'm informed but still, do the right thing nonetheless.

Location: 57 Lorong Bekukong Road Singapore 499173

Contact: 65465905

Price Range: $30-35 per head

The restaurant is built on an elevated platform resembling the old atap houses of the past. The kitchen is surprisingly out in the open facing the open air parking lots. Within, simple flourescent lamps light up the place while plain coffeeshop tables are spread evenly to provide adequate space for movement. Not that movement is much of a problem since my family makes up the bulk of 3 tables taken up that night. Perhaps it was the economic crisis but seriously, this was the second restaurant that felt as though we booked it entirely to ourselves.

Chili Mussels ($10)

The mussels here were really quite big and fresh. No sand or whatsoever in them, just sweet chili sauce and plump soft mussels for consumption.

You Tiao with Fish Paste ($8)

Apart from it being less oily then others i've tasted, its pretty much the same it all other ways.

Sweet and Sour Pork ($12)

They did a good job by really putting this to the fire and their batter came out really crispy and thin. Even after several minutes soaking in the tomato sauce, the pork remained crispy and fragrant.

Hu Nan Chicken/Dry curry chicken ($12)

Every meal needs a low point and this was it. Taste wise, it was interesting. The chicken was crispy and tender much like its sweet and sour pork albeit with a weird curry-like taste to it. So why exactly was it the low point? Remember the mention of the kitchen being in the open? Well, a "UFO" appeared in the dish with our chicken. Its quite cooked but nonetheless, you get the idea. Food cleanliness became suspect pretty much immeadiately after.

Ngor Hiang ($8)

Another low point, the ngor hiang seriously needs improvement, the whitish looking part looks like dust but it isn't. Its more an indication of lack of time to thaw. Tastewise, there's nothing worth mentioning as well.

Sambal Kang Kong ($6)

Probably one of the better items that night, the sambal kang kong was spicy, sweet and fragrant with the usage of lard in its cooking process.

HK Style Red Snapper ($42)

Another Look

This fish took the limelight being the item of the day. The flesh remains springy and taut despite being fried and the HK soy sauce it arrived in further complements its sweetness. However, it is quite a humble size despite is $42 price tag.

Kung Pow Prawns ($20)

The prawns were hit and miss. Its a hit in the quality of the prawn itself, being big and oh so crunchy. Its a miss in the fact that its done Kung Pow style which made it spicy and sweet. With prawns as good as this, just steam them and enjoy the natural taste it has, no additional sauce needed.

Scallops with brocoli/asparagus($20)

Ok, i know this isn't brocolli so its probably asparagus but i'm not too sure if its the right word. In regards to taste, the scallops alone were undeniably good with its springy and sweet natural taste.

Bamboo Clams ($48)

This is my first taste of bamboo clams and i have to say....it tastes weird. Its like a mix between mussels and snails in that its a little slimy tasting with some....pungent smelling part in its 2 ends. The mid section is more tolerable and very sweet but i can't get over how much it resembles a certain part of the human anatomy. Needless to say, the price it costs for one didn't help. This is the first, and last time i'll have the exotic item. Thank you very much.

Fried Mee Sua ($12)

Another item that took me by surprise, this mee sua is extremely well done. Simple as it may be, its very fragrant and light such that we managed to finish it even after everything else that preceded it. In fact, we ordered another poriton for take away.

Complimentary Dessert

The dessert is simple almond with longan but it gets the job done.

Bill

The bill gave me quite a shock at its price of $235.14. Apparently, the culprits were the fish, prawns, scallops and the bamboo clams.

Ambience: 3/10
Service: 6/10
Food: 6.5/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall score: 6/10 (not an average)

Last word:
Actually, i found quite a few items here really worth ordering, like the mee sua, fish and the sweet and sour pork. However, its difficult to enjoy when you're constantly picking through the food to see if "UFO's" have been added to your meal. Also, i found the pricing for the clams ridiculous. Maybe i don't know how to appreciate it but $12 a piece? Ouch. A return is most definitely not in the cards for this one.

SMOK'INN FROGZ KITCHEN

Heard about this little hideout in Bukit Timah quite some time ago and finally paid it a visit to verify if its beef burger lives up to the recommendations i've heard about it. It's rather along the west end of Singapore so i had to drive around and got lost a couple of times before i found it but i'm truly glad i did.

Location: 879 Bukit Timah Road

Price per head: $10-20 per head


The location is nothing to shout about, after all, it resides in a corner coffeeshop location and shares the space with an Indian food stall and a bar calling itself Bar Bar Black Sheep. Not that i'm complaining because the place is excellent. Wooden chairs and al fresco tables gave me an impression that i wasn't in Singapore anymore but rather some hang out place in Australia or USA. The Caucasians or expatriates who pack the place certainly aided in giving me this impression but i definitely liked the vibe of this place. Simple yet classy.

Hoegarden and Lime Juice

The drinks here are reasonably priced to be sure. Order it direct from Bar Bar Black Sheep or any of the girls going around to take orders and you'll be served your drink in a short span of time. I ordered 1 pint of ice cold Hoegarden and thank the lord, it was an actual pint at discount prices which was as advertised, ice cold too. I couldn't pin the exact cost but its anywhere between $6-9 for a pint and if you compare it to similar joints, you'll see its actually a great deal.

Fish and Chips ($8-10)

My gf ordered fish and chips as we were soon served with a huge, 3 piece fish and chips with generous portions of fries. It helps that everything was fried to a nice golden brown and served hot. The fish and chips, though having tender and sweet flesh, had a rather thick batter which didn't sit well with us. Strip away the batter though, and this works pretty well.

Beef Burger ($12-14)

The star of the day, the beef burger has a patty handmade by the restaurant in the day. The meat was finely pounded and padded together for a slightly crumbly yet firm texture. The beef taste is moderate but strong enough for me while the caremelized onions, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes added more bite to the burger. Did i mention the burger was about the size of a BK whooper? I'm definitely coming back for more of this.

Total bill probably set us back by less then $30 for this meal and i find it money well spent.

Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food: 7/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall Score: 8/10

Last word:
I like this place. Its got a rustic and earthly charm to it. And the real draw is how the Caucasians or expatriates who frequent this place really gives me the impression i'm not in Singapore. The way this illusion takes away my troubles is quite simply, priceless. Throw in good beer on tap for cheap and a beef burger to give Astons a run for their money and this place has my vote as my favorite ulu bar of the year.

Pearl River Palace (Suntec City)

Located in an obscure corner of Suntec City is a restaurant i've been patronizing at least 5 to 6 times throughout the years. In fact, its one of the first Cantonese Ala Carte buffets i was introduced to. Helmed by Hong Kong Master Chef Mok Kit Keung, the restaurant uses it as a selling point to promise authentic Cantonese cuisine at everyday prices.

Location: 1 Raffles Boulevard Convention and Exhibition Centre 3rd floor

Contact: 63329733

Price range: $30-40 per head

All you can eat!!

All you can eat buffets are usually average and when you throw in ala carte, it would mean a reasonable amount of time is spent waiting. That's pretty much true about this place as well, but there are gems to be found in its menu. You just need to know what it is to order it, as early and as often as possible to get the most out of it.

With each set, you get the usual one order only items and in this case, it'll be the live prawns and the shark's fin. Both of which were pretty good imho. The prawns were all sweet and crunchy and fresh while the shark's fin was too starchy for my tastes but was redeemed by its balanced flavors and abundance of shark's fin.

Items you must order while you are here will be:

Roasted Pork Belly - a classic in any chinese restaurant, the pork belly is rather fatty here. Its also very juicy, comes in big pieces and has a nice charred taste on the skin. Complement it with some mustard and its one of the first things to have on my list.

Wasabi mayonnaise prawn - their rendition had a rather thick layer of batter which was thankfully light. The mayonnaise and wasabi combination was balanced enough to give you a kick but not enough to deter you from eating it and the best part was there huge prawns they used for this dish. Second must order dish, repeat orders recommended.

Steamed/ fried fish (any fish) - This is the final item i think everyone needs to order as many as possible of if you're trying to ensure you eat your due. My recommendation would be about 3-4 orders of different fish with different methods of cooking. Why so? Simply because its the best item to have here. Regardless of which cooking method you order, you get a whole fish. That's right, an entire fish for each order and it is almost always fresh, sweet and perfectly light so you can have as many of it as you want. Order this without hesitation.

Dim sum items (any) - Its a cantonese restaurant, so naturally, you should order its dim sum pastries and shrimp dumplings and such to go with your meal. For the record, their dim sum is average but worth a try.

Bill

The bill for 4 this day turned up at $140.05 for a reasonably satisfying and fun gathering of friends.

Ambiance: 5.5/10
Service: 6/10
Food: 7/10
Value for money: 8/10
Overall score: 7/10 (not an average)

Last word:
As far as buffets go, this is still one of the places i'd visit for a reasonably affordable meal with passable food. Service is something they could improve since its either the horribly high handed superior or the temporary staff who can't be bothered and none are satisfactory. Otherwise, i'll be back with more friends just to attack the fish.