Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers
Dian Xiao Er - 17 July 2008
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Everytime I step into a Dian Xiao Er outlet, I feel as though I’m being transported back in time to the days when China was ruled by the imperial court, where it was the norm for men to sport long silky tresses and swordsmen downing jars of wine were as common a sight as HDB flats. The decor of their outlets really resemble those inns right out of a period drama 
Apart from their quaint furniture, another draw of this place for me is, of course, their food! Just like their sister restaurant (Soup Restaurant) has a signature chicken dish, their specialty dish also features a bird:
(Ten Wonder Duck - $12.80)
This Ten Wonder Duck is 1 of 3 versions of their trademark herbal roast ducks, which involve marinating the birds with herbs before roasting them in an oven. The number ten represents the 10 varieties of herbs and spices used in this dish. According to them, “a duck roasted in this manner is crisp to the touch and golden brown in appearance; its flesh tender and juicy with an overwhelming fragrance of herbs” 
Ok, they’ve said it all. Nothing much left for me to describe of this dish except to say that they aren’t lying 
That said, this version boasts a somewhat sweeter taste as compared to the more savoury angelica root version. Both are good; depends on what your personal preferences are 
(Stewed Ee-Fu Noodle with Conpoy & Golden Mushroom - $10.80)
If you love your mushrooms and ee-fu noodles like I do, this dish is a winning combination. The noodles are stewed thus allowing them to fully absorb the flavours of the conpoy shreds. Yum!
And the veg dish to round off the meal:
(XO Long Beans - $10.80)
Long beans stir-fried in XO sauce - nothing spectacular and I couldn’t really taste much of the spiciness that’s associated with XO sauces. I found the long beans a tad undercooked as well.
I like that the chefs at Dian Xiao Er aren’t heavy-handed on the salt as some Crystal Jade outlets are wont to do, and that most of their fare taste pretty good. Check it out sometime if you haven’t already, and remember to order their herbal roast duck
Full list of Dian Xiao Er outlets here.
Botak Jones - Average food at an OK price
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After hearing and reading all the hype about it, we finally checked out Botak Jones, with our outlet of choice being Toa Payoh (thought it better to specify this bit of info since they seem to have an ever-expanding list of locations).
Located in a canteen of an industrial estate near SPH, there was a considerable dinner crowd on a weekday; I didn’t expect this many people at a somewhat ulu spot like this. So we got a table, queued to place our orders and returned to sit and wait for our food to be served. A process they term “semi self-service” Each table was given a small tub of corn chips and what appeared to look like salsa, on the house. Bad stuff 
The chips were somewhat soggy and the salsa bland. Yeah I know, ”It’s free. What do you expect?” True, it’s FOC but if they were gonna give me substandard stuff for free then I’d rather not have it. I don’t have a masochistic streak that enjoys torturing my tastebuds with unpleasant stuff.
Thankfully our orders didn’t turn out as bad, though they weren’t impressive either.
(Fish and Chips - $6.50)
X’s Fish and Chips were average tasting. They emphasize on using only Pacific Dory fillets instead of the usual Cream Dory which is commonly used elsewhere. The only difference I could taste was that their fillets were a tad fishy, which didn’t really work for me. Their coleslaw was pretty good; crisp lettuce/carrot slices that reminded me of KFC’s version but with a less watery dressing.
(Rosemary Lamb Chops - $12.50)
Their lamb chops are priced by the grams and what you see here weighs in at 200gm. My request for having it medium-well turned out nicely tender with a slight pinkish center. The lamb chops were well marinated though I would have preferred a more generous helping of the accompanying shitake-onion-pepper sauce. You also have a choice of 2 side dishes with your mains. Go for their spicy fries which are coated in a chilli-pepper seasoning and are savourily yum 
Overall good value for money so long as you don’t go with the expectation of an ambrosial experience. Their full menu and list of locations can be found here.
Sweet treats await at Sin Ming Centre
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Done with dinner and still left with some room for dessert? Or simply craving something to satisfy that sweet tooth of yours? Head to Sin Ming Centre for your choice of homemade ice-cream or uniquely flavoured brownies, both of which boast standards that are a notch above the mainstream
When it comes to homemade ice-cream (not that I fancy any other sort), The Daily Scoop reigns top on my list and Icekimo, a close second. Well, at least they used to be…not so sure now after my most recent visit there left me a little disappointed 
I’m hoping it was a one-off miss day for them.
(Matcha - $2.80)
The texture of my Matcha ice-cream was a little too grainy for my liking, with a sensation of green tea powder lining my throat after each spoonful. The taste of green tea wasn’t forthcoming on the palate as well. Definately not the best matcha I’ve had.
(Blueberry Cheesecake - $3.30)
X’s Blueberry Cheesecake ice-cream tasted strangely like those purple Hacks sweets that used to be sold at ma-ma shops X also felt that it wasn’t creamy enough and lacked the definitive flavour that characterises cheesecakes. And your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you - The pricing for the 2 ice-creams are different despite both being a single scoop cos’ Icekimo charges an extra $0.50 for a cone. One of the few ice-cream parlours that does so I must say.
Despite the misses this time, I’ll still return to give their other flavours a try since I’ve enjoyed their ice-cream a number of times before. I’d recommend checking out their Guinness Choc Chip (which packs quite a strong punch), Teh Tarik, Jasmine and Black Sesame (which is a hot favourite among a number of my friends)
Icekimo
8 Sin Ming Road #01-03 Sin Ming Centre
Opening hours: 11am - 11pm daily.
Full list of ice-cream flavours here.
No, this isn’t the end of the post. I mentioned a choice of ice-cream or brownies remember? Not that you can’t have them both of course And with brownies this good, you’ll be making a HUGE mistake to pass on them!
(Back to front: Blueberry Cheesecake Brownie, Cheesecake Brownie, Mint Cheese Brownie & Chocolate Chip Cheese Brownie)
The price for each brownie ranges from $2.20 to $2.40 depending on the flavour you choose. If you haven’t already noticed, all these brownies have something in common - CHEESE! And it’s the sweet sort that’s used in cheesecakes. Brownies+Cheesecake…I know what you’re thinking…Two very rich tasting desserts combined; doesn’t sound like a good idea…you can’t be further from the truth! If there is one word to describe these brownies, it would be heavenly 
They literally melt-in-your-mouth, and when chilled, it feels as though you’re eating chocolate truffles not brownies.
You can’t taste a hint of flour in this brownie, and the combination of cheesecake and brownies make for a rich, luxurious, sinful treat Smart of them to package it in such small pieces, so you won’t get too much of a good thing. I can’t say which flavour tastes best cos’ they all taste equally yummylicious! What the heck, just try them all! They’ll blow you away at first bite like what they did to me
In case it isn’t clear, they are located at #01-05.
Yup, that’s just 2 doors away from Icekimo.
Opening hours: 12 noon to 10pm.
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays.
Don’t bother with this Dim Sum
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The title of this post says it all - read on only if you wanna find out how bad the food was.
Crime Scene: Somewhere along Upper Thomson Road, near a *cough* famous prata stall
The culprit: 
The offence: Serving substandard dim sum fare.
We, the unofficial food police aka papilles, hereby find you guilty of the following charges:
1. Masquerading commonplace Hokkien Mee under the moniker of KL Hokkien Mee ($3.50), hence misleading consumers into expecting something more or different from the usual sorts served in neighbourhood zi char stalls and subsequently failing to live up to said expectations. And no, scattering a handful of lard pieces before serving does not add any flavour to the food.
2. Serving Har Gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) with flimsy skins that break apart even before they reach our lips.
3. Pork ribs that are bland and devoid of any flavour.
4. Chive dumplings made with rubbery-textured skins.
5. Steamed yam cake that turned out dry, insipid and sparked off a protest from our tastebuds.
In the name of upholding quality food standards in Singapore (and to preserve the sanity of our tastebuds), we hereby banish you from our list of eating places for all eternity. Court of Food Justice dismissed!
Who said healthy food can’t taste good?
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If you’ve been wanting to start eating healthy but have been hesitating cos’ of the common notion that healthy foods are either tasteless or yucky, take heart that you can now have the best of both worlds at Organic Cafe - a cafe that as its name suggests, serves mostly organic food and most importantly, offers healthy fare without compromising on taste
Having been impressed by the silky smooth textures of their Cod fish with brown rice ($10.90) on a previous visit, I returned and ended up ordering another fish dish:
(Panfried Salmon - $14.90)
Once again, they did not disappoint; the slabs of salmon were lightly panfried to retain their natural juiciness and served with a bed of diced assorted vegetables topped with an organic lemon clam sauce. The sauce is creamy yet light on the palate, and together with the veg lends a subtle sweetness to the moist, tender salmon. Healthy and absolutely yummy
If you’re new to organic and healthier (i.e. unrefined/unprocessed) food, don’t start with their wholemeal pastas as these have a coarser texture which is somewhat of an acquired taste. Also, not all items on the menu are organic unless specifically stated. Don’t underestimate the food portions; they may look a little small but will fill you up nicely with just enough room for a light dessert, which you’ll be thankful for once you’ve got a taste of their yoghurts:
(Left to right: Yoghurt with Blueberries, Yoghurt with Mango - $2.90 each)
Creamy yoghurt with a generous helping of fruits and very affordable too! Go for blueberries if you like something more tart and mango if you love the fruit like I do Or choose from about 3 other varieties of their yoghurt desserts which all come with different combinations of fruits. A sweetly satisfying end to a wholesome meal.
Organic Cafe
Novena Square #01-53
