Change Of Phone

Change Of Phone


Said goodbye to my Sony Ericsson Satio (Red), which I've been using for the past 5 years! Specifications: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_satio_%28idou%29-2683.php






And hello to my new Samsung Galaxy S II (Black)! Specifications: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9100g_galaxy_s_ii-4327.php






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Empire State (Cafe)

Empire State (Cafe)

201 Victoria Street
#04-03 Iluma

1 Woodlands Square
#02-10/K10 Causeway Point

1 Seletar Road
#02-04 Greenwich V

http://www.empirestate.com.sg/




Huge Serving Sizes

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 8

Ambience & Setting: 6

Food & Beverage: 8

Service: 7

Value for Money: 9

Spent about $15 per person.

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I've passed Empire State (Cafe) numerous times, but never really got around to dining here till recently. 
 
The best thing about Empire State (Cafe) is that for the same price you'll pay for a meal at other cafes, you get nearly double the amount of food in 1 serving. Great value for money.


Empire State (Cafe) has pretty decent western style food, just that it comes super-sized. The table next to mine had 3 guys sharing 1 huge burger and fries!


I liked the BBQ Ribs, reminds me of the St. Louis style BBQ ribs, tender and comes off the bone easily, while the tangy BBQ sauce gives a savory kick. 


The Herb Roasted Maple Glazed Chicken was bathed in an addictive brown sauce. The maple syrup in the sauce had just that hint of sweetness. The chicken meat was still juicy within. Delicious!

Looking forward to try some of their other dishes next time!

BBQ Ribs

Herb Roasted Maple Glazed Chicken

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Update (Aug-2012): I had a good experience dining at the former Empire State (Cafe) outlet at Iluma, and this new outlet carries the torch well.

Ambience is still styled after American road side diners, with large comfortable seats, and quirkey decor.

Service is friendly and attentive, and food is served quickly.

Food portions are as large as ever, and still taste pretty good.

I had a craving for Root Beer Float, and the Empire State (Cafe) version didn't disappoint... Large mug of root beer, topped with a generous helping of quality vanilla ice cream... Extremely satisfying!

The Empire State Hot Dog comes with generous toppings of cheese, chili sauce, mustard, chili beef sauce, and onions. The sausage was quite long, at 12 inches (!), but is factory made, which resulted in a lower overall taste. The 10 inch bun would have been better if it was toasted slightly.

Root Beer Float 01

Root Beer Float 02

Empire State Hot Dog 01

Empire State Hot Dog 02

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 01

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 02

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 03

Corn Dog 01

Corn Dog 02

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White Dog Cafe

White Dog Cafe

1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-131/132 VivoCity

Good, But Not Outstanding

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 5

Ambience & Setting: 7

Food & Beverage: 5

Service: 5

Value for Money: 5

Spent about $31 per person.

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The best thing about White Dog Cafe is their location, on the second floor of VivoCity, overlooking the Sentosa bridge and the Harbour. If you get a window seat, you'll have a fantastic view while you dine. 




Unfortunately, White Dog Cafe is let down by its food and service. 




That's not to say that White Dog Cafe food or service is terrible... just that it's average. But in a location like VivoCity, surrounded by top quality restaurants and cafes, competition is stiff. And in this location, being merely 'good' may not be good enough.


The closest I can come to placing the theme of White Dog Cafe is 'Western Food'. Unlike some of the other restaurants nearby which offer 'Seafood', 'Brazilian', 'Spanish', 'Indian', etc; White Dog Cafe menu is a mix of European and American influence. 


Food is decent, and so are serving sizes. However, for the price, you could get better meals at other restaurants and cafes around the area. 


Service is average as well, and is slightly better during non-peak service hours. 


Nothing in particular would attract me to return, or cause me to want to travel here just to dine... And that for me, is where White Dog Cafe has failed.


Probably the only reason I'll eat here again is if the other restaurants or cafes were crowded.

Sausage Combo With Grilled Chicken

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The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC)

The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC)

80 Middle Road
#01-92-96 Bugis Junction

15 Beach Road
#01-01/02 Beach Centre

51 Circular Road

Blk 3E River Valley Road
#01-01

9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-44/45 Millenia Walk

80 Bencoolen Street
#01-17/18 NAFA

1 Marina Boulevard
#01-01

182 Orchard Road
Peranakan Place Complex

1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-29 Great World City

5 Raffles Place
#B1-63/64/65 Raffles Xchange

1 Raffles Link
#B1-26 Citylink Mall

70 Stamford Road
#01-22 SMU City Campus

350 Orchard Road
Level 2 Isetan Scotts Shaw House

109 North Bridge Road
#01-34/35/36 Funan Digitalife Mall

80 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01/02 The Pier @ Robertson

176 Orchard Road
#01-102/103/104 Centrepoint

238 Thomson Road
#01-56/58 Novena Square

3 Church Street
#01-01 Samsung Hub

4 Robinson Road
#01-01

2 Keppel Bay Vista
#02-02A

65 Airport Boulevard
#01-22 Changi Airport T3

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-84/85/86 Central

370 Alexandra Road
#01-07/08 Anchorpoint

3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-025/027 Suntec City

360 Orchard Road
#01-01 International Building

435 Orchard Rd
#02-18 Wisma Atria

1 Selegie Road
#01-02 & #02-25 PoMo

2 Orchard Turn
#B2-49 ION Orchard

2 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-120/120A Marina Bay Sands

http://www.theconnoisseurconcerto.com/




Good Coffee But Pricey

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 6

Ambience & Setting: 8

Food & Beverage: 6

Service: 6

Value for Money: 6

Spent about $10 per person.

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The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) is a nice place to just chill out with friends, and chat over drinks. But dining is another matter... You'll probably get better food at lower prices at other cafes / restaurants. 


However, The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) has pretty good coffee and drinks, which I personally feel is much better than other more well-known brands. 


The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) has cute informative little booklets on each table, which I thought was a nice touch.

English Muffin Two Ways

Toffee Nut And Cinnamon Hug Coffee

Irish Coffee

Shrooms Bite

Tissue

Manuka Angel 01

Manuka Angel 02

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Shogayaki Sauce, Mild Edamame Cream, Onion Roasted Potatoes, Lotus Root Slices And Broccolini 01

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Shogayaki Sauce, Mild Edamame Cream, Onion Roasted Potatoes, Lotus Root Slices And Broccolini 02

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Tim Hawkins Handbook Official Worship Signals

Tim Hawkins Handbook Official Worship Signals


From the Tim Hawkins Handbook, a humorous take on official worship hand signals, in a totally non-denominational format. 

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Island Creamery

Island Creamery

10 Jalan Serene
#01-03 Serene Centre

3 Lorong Liput
#01-02 Holland Village Shopping Mall

1 Kim Seng Promenade
#B1-18 Great World City

11 King Albert Park

http://www.islandcreamery.com/




Unique Local Ice Cream Flavors

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 8

Ambience & Setting: 6

Food & Beverage: 8

Service: 7

Value for Money: 8

Spent about $7 per person.

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You have to hand it to the folks at Island Creamery, who cracked their heads and came up with creative ice cream flavors based on local favorites, such as Teh Tarik, Pineapple Tart, Tiger Sorbet, Bandung, etc. 


Island Creamery proudly declares that they don't serve they usual Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla flavors of ice cream. Their ice cream flavors and desserts are all made in-house. 


Other popular flavors of ice cream at Island Creamery include Burnt Caramel, Apple Pie, and Ping Pong Milo. 


Do try their Baked Alaska and Mudpies too!

Baked Alaska

Ice Cream ReversO, Pineapple Tart With Brownie

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O'Coffee Club

O'Coffee Club

391 Orchard Road
#03-10/15 Ngee Ann City

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-105/106/107 Central

3B River Valley Road
#01-18 The Foundry

1 Maritime Square
#01-65/66 Harbourfront Centre

109 North Bridge Road
#01-K5 Funan DigitaLife Mall

2 Jurong East Street 21
#01-125 IMM

48A Lorong Mambong

6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-332A-F Marina Square

23 Church Street
#01-K2 Capital Square

1 Raffles Quay
#01-10 One Raffles Quay

323 Orchard Road

252 North Bridge Road
#03-30/30A Raffles City

290 Orchard Road
#03-09 Paragon

907 East Coast Road
#01-01 Springvale

7 Raffles Place

302 Tiong Bahru Road
#01-54

65 Airport Boulevard
L2LF1 Changi Airport T3

10 Tampines Central
#01-17/18 Tampines One

501 Orchard Road
#01-K1/K2 Wheelock Place

http://www.ocoffeeclub.com/




Go For The Coffee And Desserts

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 6

Ambience & Setting: 7

Food & Beverage: 7

Service: 6

Value for Money: 6

Spent about $9 per person.

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When I visit O'Coffee Club, I generally only order their coffee and desserts. Most of the time, I go with the Muddy Mud Pie. 


O'Coffee Club Muddy Mud Pie is huge, and sinfully decadent. It's large enough for 2 to share, and covered in chocolate fudge. 


Otherwise, the food at O'Coffee Club is generally not worth the money, for the same price, you'll be better off dining at other cafes.

Banana Butterscotch Latte

Muddy Mud Pie

Apricot Passion Fruit Heaven

Berry Latte

Berry Latte Again

Gooey Chocolate Monkey Tart

Basil Pesto Snapper With Clam Chowder Linguine

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Ice Cream Chefs

Ice Cream Chefs

12 Jalan Kuras

520 East Coast Road
#01-06 Ocean Park

http://www.icecreamchefs.com/




Cutesy, Eccentric Ice Cream Joint

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 8

Ambience & Setting: 7

Food & Beverage: 8

Service: 8

Value for Money: 8

Spent about $7 per person.

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Trending on the "Mix stuff into your ice cream craze", Ice Cream Chefs boasts a few unique flavors, such as Mrs Smith (Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream with Cinnamon) or Kaya Lotee (Pandan Kaya Ice Cream with Bread Crumbs).


Started by 2 enterprising friends, as a party and catering ice cream business, Ice Cream Chefs has since expanded into the traditional retail outlets. They make their flavors in-house, and also offer quite a good variety of mix-ins, although their ice cream is good enough on its own. 


Ice Cream Chefs seems to place more effort to blend various fruit flavors into their ice cream, unlike some places which might incorporate the fruit in chunks. This gives their fruity flavors a more smooth, creamy finish. 


More on the entrepreneurs behind Ice Cream Chefs can be found here: http://www.soe.org.sg/files/interview2010.php?i=538&a=&c=&year=2010.

Ice Cream Mrs Smith With Cookie Crisp

Ice Cream Root Beer Float With Waffle Crisp

Ice Cream Passion Fruit Fuz, Chocolate Hersheys With Granola And Waffle

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Brasserie Gavroche

Brasserie Gavroche

66 Tras Street

http://www.brasseriegavroche.com/




Excellent French Dining At Reasonable Prices

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 8

Ambience & Setting: 8

Food & Beverage: 9

Service: 7

Value for Money: 8

Spent about $70 per person.

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Heard about this small, husband-and-wife run french restaurant, and when I was looking around for a special place to celebrate her birthday, decided to make a reservation here. I wasn't disappointed! 


Tip: Do make reservations before visiting, as the place is relatively small. Also, their waiting list can stretch up to 5 days, so book early. I booked my place 8 days in advance!


Brasserie Gavroche is named after the street orphan Gavroche in the famous musical Les Misérables. However, your dining experience here won't be miserable... 


Brasserie Gavroche is tucked away in a small enclove in 66 Tras Street, near the Tanjong Pagar market, and is quite easy to miss. They only have a small signage outside, and no signage on their actual door, so you actually have to be looking for the place to find it. 


Ambience is simple, yet elegant, with dim lights perfect for romantic meals, yet bright enough to see clearly. Even during the day, the restaurant isn't that brightly lit, as sunlight can't reach all the way in. The furniture and paintings that adorn the place make you feel as though you've flown to France.


Service is what you'll expect from a fine french dining establishment, professional, attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. They will try to push house recommendations, although if you decline, they will politely accept. Points for authenticity though, as all but 1 of the staff are French, and co-owner Charlotte works the floor as the restaurant manager. 


Chef Colin used to be the executive chef of St. Regis Singapore, so the food is excellent. Many of the standout dishes are recipes handed down from his grandfather, Henri, and man, that guy can cook! 


Pre-Appetizers include the classic Baguette, and a unique Cheese-Stuffed Bread. The Cheese-Stuffed Bread was moist and cheesy within, and crispy on the outside. 


Grandpa Henri's French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’oignon, recette de grand père Henri) was large enough for 2 people to share. Floating on top were 2 cheese and herb covered slices of baguette, which went well with the tangy soup. The French Onion Soup was done well enough to remove the unpleasant pungent odor of the onions, while still retaining the sweetness within. I kept thinking that this would be a great dish to have on cold rainy days, or when feeling unwell! 


Grandpa Henri's Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables (Potée Auvergnate, recette du grand père Henri) was filled with Pork Ribs, Pork Belly, and a Pork Sausage. The meat was stewed till tender and came apart easily. The vegetables were still crisp, not overcooked till wilted. 


The Pan-Seared Fillet Of Sea Bream With Provençale Ratatouille (Filet de Daurade et ratatouille Provençale) had a crispy outer skin, which I loved, while the meat was still tender. The accompanying Ratatouille was really good as well. 


Prices aren't the cheapest, but are quite reasonable, and relatively less expensive than other french restaurants.


Hope to try some of their other items soon!

Napkin

French Onion Soup - Soupe à l’oignon, recette de grand père Henri

Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables - Potée Auvergnate, recette du grand père Henri 01

Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables - Potée Auvergnate, recette du grand père Henri 02

Pan-Seared Fillet Of Sea Bream With Provençale Ratatouille - Filet de Daurade et ratatouille Provençale

Bread Basket

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Update (21-Jun-2012): Visited again with a close friend for a celebration treat... The menu has been updated slightly, but Brasserie Gavroche still has the same great, friendly service and fantastic french food.

Bread And Butter

Cheese Nibbles

Poached Eggs On Toast With Bacon And Red Wine Reduction - Oeufs Meurette 01

Poached Eggs On Toast With Bacon And Red Wine Reduction - Oeufs Meurette 02

Fish Quenelle With Crayfish Sauce - Quenelle de poisson sauce Nantua, recette de grand-père Henri

Monkfish Cheeks With Fish Soup And Vegetables - Joues de lotte et soupe de poissons

Poached Peaches In White Wine With Vanilla Ice Cream And Caramel Crumble - Pêches pochées au vin blanc avec la crème glacée vanille et de caramel

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F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co.

F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co.

313 Orchard Road
#B3-37 313 @ Somerset

http://www.facebook.com/fish.sg




Nice Concept From An Established Brand

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 7

Ambience & Setting: 6

Food & Beverage: 7

Service: 8

Value for Money: 7

Spent about $28 per person.

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Met up for shopping with my best friend, and decided to have dinner at F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co.. 


I think F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co. is an interesting new take on their existing brand, and my dining experience here left me wishing they would open more such restaurants. 


Ambience was decent, with a clean, minimalist type of layout and decor. 


I think the service that night was pretty good, I know we bothered the waiter / waitresses quite a few times, with change of seats, menu enquiries, photo requests, payment enquiries, etc. Still, they staff was friendly, and knowledge about ingredients and current promotions. Well worth the service charge! 


We had the free-flow salad bar that night, and F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co. has a decent range of options in their salad bar. The food was fresh, and it came complimentary with our choice of main courses. Some items on the menu come without the free-flow salad bar, although you could pay about $3 to include it. I doubt I would pay extra just to have it though. 


The Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast came with 3 cuts of meat, stacked on top of potatoes. The chicken was nicely tender without being dry, partly thanks to the succulent juicy mushrooms stuffed within. 

It was a bit like having a reverse sauce, instead of the mushrooms covering the chicken and making it soggy, the sauce is within the meat, so biting into a piece releases the mushrooms with the sauce into your mouth. I did find it a little too salty after awhile though. 


My best friend had the Seafood Cannelloni, which looks like a Lasagne, but stuffed with seafood instead of beef. Consisting of  mussels, prawns, and fish, it was extremely delicious. My best friend said she felt like licking the plate clean! 


We shared a Caramel Fudge Cheesecake for dessert, which was rich in texture and quite decadent. 


Will come back and try other dishes next time.

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast

Seafood Cannelloni

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Western Bar

Western Bar

8 Jalan Gelenggang

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-Bar/200947393283133




Christmas Lunch At Western Bar

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)

Overall: 8

Ambience & Setting: 8

Food & Beverage: 8

Service: 8

Value for Money: 7

Spent about $45 per person.

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When I was looking for a place for Christmas lunch with her, I wanted 1) Somewhere quiet, and 2) A place that did Lamb well. 


I found both at Western Bar. 


Disclaimer: This is a review of their Christmas Menu, which is totally different from their Regular Menu. The difference is the food we had that day isn't on the regular menu, and the price is double or triple of their regular menu. So I'm actually reviewing the chef's skill in this entry. 




Western Bar was totally quiet on Christmas day... We were they only ones in the place for nearly an hour, until a group of youths came in. 


Western Bar is rather secluded in Sembawang Hills, so I guess not many know about the place. 


I heard that the Lamb here was pretty good, and on regular days, their food is very value-for-money due to the lower than average prices. 


The Christmas Rack Of Lamb didn't disappoint. 


It was nicely crusted all round with herbs and breadcrumbs, which gave a nice texture to the medium-rare, juicy and tender meat within. The herbs gave the meat a nice infusion of flavour. The portion was quite large too. It was served with black pepper sauce, but honestly, it was good enough on it's own. 


The Duck Confit was rather small though, but it was cooked to perfection. The meat wasn't tough, and the skin was crispy. 


Service was average... Can't really comment because we were the only ones in the place. 


I quite like the ambience and decor, the place looks like an actual bar you'll see in those old western movies. 


Will come back on a regular day to try their lamb...


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Update: Did come back on a regular day, and the food and service was great! 

The staff just seem so happy all the time, and were friendly and polite. Now there's also a foosball (table soccer) table as well, to entertain kids, or those young-at-heart. 

I like their White Truffle Mushroom Soup, it comes in a nice size portion, and there's actual wild mushrooms inside the soup.

Duck Confit

Herb Crusted Rack Of Lamb

Baked Mussels

Cheesy Quesadillas Chicken

Potato Skins

Red Snapper En Papillote 01

Red Snapper En Papillote 02

Ribena Lychee Freeze

WB Braised Lamb Shank

WB Pork Belly

Western Bar Wings

White Truffle Mushroom Soup

BBQ Pork Ribs

Chuck-Wagon Chicken Cutlet XXXL

Hot Honey Lemon

Seven Wonders Spaghetti Tartufata

Squid O Calamari

Pan-Seared Deglaze Salmon Fillet

Texas Pan-Grilled Striploin Steak

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