Moi Lum 梅琳 @ Maxwell

I went for a belated Lunar New Year celebration-cum-gathering of friends at this Chinese restaurant called Moi Lum. There was still a set menu for Lunar New Year despite the fifteen days already being over.

The restaurant was empty save for a few tables occupied by old men whom I suspected were school friends having their fiftieth reunion or something. The interior of the restaurant was brightly lit with quite a number of pillars, making the seating cramped and crowded.

The first dish was lo hei (what else?!), and after we were done with the dish it was a mess!

Second dish was Shark's Fin Soup. Much as I do not feel comfortable taking shark's fin due to all the killing of the sharks around, I was overruled - 9 against 1. :-(

Third dish was vegetables, that tasted salty, followed by roasted crispy chicken that tasted even saltier.

Then there was a dish of bean curd with mayonnaise.


Prawns came next. At least the prawns were fresh enough although small.


Finally noodles, followed by mango sago pudding as dessert.

I must say, the food is not that impressive. It was not cheap for lunch, around S$50.00 per person. I would kind of think for that kind of price, there would be better food being served. Overall I would not really recommend, but that is just one person's opinion!

Food : 2 out of 5
Ambience : 1 out of 5
Service : 2 out of 5
Price : 2 out of 5

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Peach Garden (The Executive Club) @ OCBC Centre

Yesterday was my uncle's 80th birthday, so we were invited to Peach Garden @ The Executive Club for lunch. The restaurant is on the 33rd floor of OCBC Centre, so there are some lovely views of the CBD, Singapore River, Boat Quay and City Hall areas from the window screens.

It was a sumptuous eight-course lunch, with additions like the birthday peach and the chocolate cake at the end. The food is good, delicious, tasty, and the fish is cooked to perfection. The only gripe is that there was shark's fin on the menu! Other than that, it was great! Restaurant food is still the best, as compared to hotel ballrooms!

The birthday peach (filled with lotus paste filling)

1st course - Wrapped Duck Skin

The skin is smooth and juicy. With the wrapping, we could dip the whole thing into the sauce and put it into our mouths, where it melted in our mouths. However, I thought the presentation could be improved.

2nd course - Shark's Fin Soup

3rd course - Almond Prawns

The prawn is spicy and sticky and leave a weird after taste in my mouth. This is the least favourite dish among all!

4th course - Fish

I always thought a good Chinese restaurant depends on the way you cook the fish. Most of the fish I have come across are "fishy", perhaps because of the type of fish used. The perfect kind of fish is steamed until the skin is dry, added in superior soy sauce and oyster sauce, and with some vegetables scattered on it. The fish melts in your mouth and you can taste the sauce oozing out. In this case, the fish is cooked to a pretty supreme standard, although I have tasted better at Crystal Jade at Toa Payoh - that is the perfect kind of fish!

5th course - Abalone, with mushroom and vegetables

Again, a good Chinese restaurant is reflected on how the vegetables are being cooked. This presentation is not impressive. I have come across a big mushroom lying in a bowl of oyster sauce, with a big abalone and green vegetables at the bottom. Delicious!

6th course - Duck with condiments

This was one of the dishes that were not that good-tasting.

7th course - Longevity noodles

Unfortunately, by the time I came to the noodles I was already so full that I could hardly eat any! Hence, I did not really touch my noodles at all.

8th course - Dessert (honeydew cream sago)

 

At least the dessert was nice. Sweet, and the sago cream rushes into my throat. The texture was smooth. It was literally saved by the dessert!

Crowning Glory - Awfully Chocolate Cake

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Service : 3 out of 5 (for such a place, the service should be better)
Price : Not sure

A Shangri-La Wedding

A cousin got married yesterday, and her dinner banquet was at Shangri-La. For all the hype about Shangri-La, when I went in, somehow I was not impressed. The ballroom seems ordinary, like any other ballroom in any other hotel. The table setting also seems ordinary. The serving staff seems inexperienced, nervous and no product knowledge at all.

The worst part is that the food is not good at all! For the price the bridal couple is paying, it is totally not worth it! If I am the bride, I will feel absolutely ripped off, as they are paying top dollar for less than mediocre food, ambience and service! I will not recommend this place for any banquets whatsoever! For this kind of price, St Regis is a much better choice in terms of food, service and ambience!

The table setting

First dish - cold cut combination of suckling pig, salad prawns, spring rolls, duck and jelly fish

Second dish - Shark's fin

Third dish - I believe this is a cod fish, but the sauce is a tad salty. And for such a soggy dish, the serving staff did not even bother giving us an extra spoon!

Fourth dish - I think it is cereal prawn of sorts

Fifth dish - Poached chicken with a few sticks of vegetables
 

Sixth dish - Abalone with vegetables

Seventh dish - Fried Rice, which is the worst I have ever taken

Eighth dish - Dessert

At least the wedding ceremony itself was beautiful. I was there for the wedding, not the food, hence stayed throughout, but many left before the fried rice was served as it was too long a gap in between courses and the whole dinner became too draggy. If I ever get married, this will be one place I will not consider!

Gu Zao Ren Seafood Taiwan Porridge @ Changi Road

Yesterday was Mothers' Day, so I brought my parents out for dinner. There is this Taiwan porridge place near our place, so we went there. I have only eaten there a couple of times. The first was when I had to buy lunch back for my family members, and this place was the only one that was opened and selling decent food (rice and a variety of dishes) which cater to the taste buds of everyone.

The second time was just a couple of weeks back when I met a friend for dinner, and we ate there. That time, we ate kang kong, claypot bean curd and sweet and sour pork ribs, with their famous sweet potato porridge.

Last night, we ordered more dishes - smelly beans, salted fish bean sprouts, fried fish head, braised pork, and of course, the sweet potato porridge. The dishes come in small servings, perfect for just four of us. There was also the choice of a refill of the porridge or rice.

Even though I am not really a porridge person, I enjoyed the food a lot! The servings are just right, the food is good - not too salty and not too much seasoning, and the price is very good. We paid about S$30.00 for four persons, 3 bowls of porridge, 1 bowl of rice and 4 to 5 dishes! Very worth it!

The only gripe is the service though. It took a while for the service staff to attend to us, and we had to repeat our orders several times before they remembered or attended to us. Further more, there are limited seating inside hence we had to sit outside where it was supposed to be more airy, but last night happened to be a very hot night, so there was hardly any wind. Still, it was a rather enjoyable dinner. I would not mind eating there again!

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 1.5 out of 5 (to be really fair, this is not exactly a restaurant so we cannot expect the ambience of a high-class restaurant)
Service : 2.5 out of 5
Price : 4 out of 5

Zhou's Kitchen @ Anchorpoint

I have passed by Zhou's Kitchen - Casual Chinese Dining at Anchorpoint a few times but have not been in there. Today I had the opportunity of stepping in for lunch. The restaurant looks pretty cosy. We had a group of eleven and were lucky that there was a table big enough to cater to the group.

We ordered noodles, crispy chicken, sweet and sour pork, egg soup, some tim sum like prawn dumplings, and dessert. All in all, it was a pretty good lunch - good tasting and not too filling as well. The ambience is quite good, rather quiet for a lunch time crowd. I think our table is about the only one that is lively. There are not that many guests and whichever guests there were were pretty quiet.

Since it was on the second floor at an annex off Anchorpoint, the restaurant is accessible through the first floor of the annex, with stairs leading to the second floor. The kitchen is right in the middle of the restaurant, and the table we were given is next to the kitchen, with a view of the scenery outside.

At least the food is good. Being part of the famous Tung Lok Group, the food is definitely of a certain standard. This is one place I would not mind coming again! The next time I go I will sure take pictures of the place and the food!

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant @ Whampoa West

We had a family dinner at Liang Kee Teochew Restaurant at Whampoa West last night. When my cousin told me about the venue, I was scratching my head, wondering where Whampoa West is. I checked the street directory and saw the nearest train station being at Boon Keng.

When I alighted at the Boon Keng station, I thought I would take some time in trying to find the place. Little did I know the block is just next to the station! However, being a very long block of flats, I had to walk all the way down to the other end to reach the restaurant.

The food is average. Because I had a full lunch, I did not wish to eat too much dinner, so I only settled for some vegetables, meat dishes and fish maw soup. It is a typical Teochew cuisine of nine courses, but I was so full that I could not eat anymore after the fourth dish!

At least I know this is a place I would sure go again! Good food, great service. Of all the mid-range Chinese restaurants, this is one of the better ones!

Cuisine : Chinese - Teochew
Food : 3.5 out of 5
Price : No comment as I did not foot the bill

Wedding Lunch At St Regis

I attended a wedding lunch at the St Regis Grand Ballroom yesterday. The table setting was exquisite. When the meal started, I noticed that the dishes were being served individually to each person. At other wedding meals, the dish would be in a big plate or bowl in the middle of the table, and the waiter / waitress would then scoop up individual portions for everyone at the table, leaving some leftovers on the main plate.

Then whoever who finished the first round could help themselves to the second round. This way is more convenient to the serving staff, but the problem is there will be people who tend to eat more and those who tend to eat less. Then those who love the dish would end up hogging the dish all to him /herself, without leaving any / enough for the rest. Or else no one wants a second helping and there are quite a lot of leftovers.

Hence I find the idea of individual dishes very good. Everyone gets the same dish and the same amount, no complaints about who gets more and who gets less. No leftovers (or not much) so wastage is minimised. And the gourmet fine dining setting of the individual dishes look really good!

Everything is individualised, including the sauces and condiments. Everyone has a dish for sauce, chilli, nuts and whatnots. Everyone has two glasses of water and one glass where we can choose the wine.

But I must say the faint lipstick mark left on my water glass before I started drinking was a bit unbecoming of a hotel of this standard. The least the dishwashers can do is to ensure there are no marks left!

The food was good. There were only six dishes. Seems that the couple personalised the menu and the guests thoroughly enjoyed the dishes!

The cup of tea

The dish of sauces and condiments

First dish - Eternal Combination Platter
(L to R : Thai Style Shredded Prawn with Spicy Mango Salsa, Roasted Pork Neck with Honey, Oven-Baked Salmon Skin in a glass)

Second dish - Braised Sea Treasures in Pumpkin Soup with Conpoy

Third dish - Steamed Fillet of Marble Goby with Stir-Fried Asparagus (on the right)
accompanied with Stir-fried King Prawn with Yellow Chives (on the left)

Fourth dish - Braised Sea Cucumber (right) with Mushroom and Spinach in Superior Sauce

There was a break after the fourth dish for speeches by the bridesmaid, the father of the bride and the couple themselves, while we toasted champagne, which was poured for us after the fourth dish. Then everyone toasted to the couple!

 

My bottle of champagne

Fifth dish - Crispy Roast Chicken with Fragrant Spices (left)
accompanied with Eternal Golden Fried Rice with Olives, Prawns and Diced Vegetables

Sixth dish (dessert) - Wedding Cake with Raspberry Coulis (left)
accompanied with Lemon Sorbet

By right, it was supposed to be a normal eight-course meal, but due to the good planning and by combining a few dishes together, the meal shrunk to six courses instead. Clever idea, then the whole reception would not drag on too long! Hence instead of the normal three hours, we finished everything in just two hours!