Friday 21 November 2014

New hangout at Alt Pizza!

It's almost been a week since i last updated this blog! Exams are coming in a week's time and both Gab and I have been busy preparing for it.

I can't wait for exams to be over and i'll be free. I can't wait to start on my fitness regime again. And after that, we're headed to Australia for exchange! Oh and of course, who could forget that it's time for Christmas!

We headed to Alt. Pizza on our last day of school and surprisingly they serve very interesting flavors.

Menu
You can see from the menu that everything is pretty affordable! It's not too pricy unlike Skinny Pizza and definitely a better choice than Skinny Pizza!

I love the interior! They have a huge banner of all the Singapore icons.
What is this structure?!
Before our pizza came, one of the waiters placed this weird looking structure on our table and we were wondering what function this had…


When the pizzas came, we finally knew what it was for! It's such a clever idea, especially since our table was pretty small.

Garth Fader ($12)
I guess for $12, this was super affordable. The base was a generous spread of cream sauce. The pizza was topped with two different types of cheese– smoke cheddar and mozzarella. It came with roasted onions, artichoke and tomatoes. There was also pine nuts, which gave this pizza a crunch to it.

I can't get enough of their pizza base. It's thin crust, but not thin/biscuit like texture/crunchy like that of Skinny Pizza's. It's made up of a very thin but chewy dough and tasted so much more like a pizza crust.  The sauce of the pizza didn't drench the pizza base and the pizza base was not soggy at all. I guess they got their recipe right. The crust is perfect.

The pizza was sliced into 6 slices. I would say an average guy would probably eat 5 slices of this? Gabriel and I couldn't finish two pizzas on our own. We had over ordered!

Lean & Green ($14)
This tastes way better than it looks. The base was covered with pesto sauce. It had a good mix of two cheeses as well– Feta cheese and mozzarella. This pizza also came with bits of broccoli, baby spinach and roasted squash which provided somewhat a sweet flavor to it.

This is probably one of the most unique pizzas i've ever tried. And it tastes so good that i'm definitely coming back for more! Even if you're not a vegetable lover, you should try this. Trust me, this tastes nothing like vegetables. It was so flavorful and good.

The exterior of Alt Pizza
Alt Pizza wasn't that easy to find. It's at Suntec (near Marche) and you actually have to exit the building to locate it. Although it isn't that easily accessible, thank goodness there was a taxi queue just right outside and you can hop on a cab after your meal!

Credits to Alt. Pizza for this picture
One more thing, they're having a student promotion now from 2pm-6pm if any of you are interested.

Thanks for reading this! I'll be back after my exams and updating this blog with all other food hunts!

Alt. Pizza
Suntec City Tower 4
#01-602
Singapore 038983
Tel: 68369207
http://www.altpizza.com.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/AltPizza

Friday 14 November 2014

Our regular orders at Din Tai Fung

Me at Din Tai Fung
Gabriel and I would routinely visit Din Tai Fung at least once a week. The food there is just too good! I've included in this post some of the usuals that we always get. 

Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing ($4)
I love this. I always get this. It's so refreshing and crunchy. Toppled with the tangy vinegar dressing is a hint of spice. The mix of seaweed, bean sprouts, bean curd, vermicelli is such a good mix.

Noodles with Spicy Sesame and Peanut Sauce ($7.30)
I like this a lot. It has a nutty and sesame flavor to it. It's also really spicy. I wouldn't recommend this if you are spice intolerant. Also, i do not think everyone would like this nutty flavor. I personally like this noodle a lot but if you're not the unconventional sort, i think you shouldn't order this.

Dry Noodle Tossed in Special Sauce ($8.50)
What you see in the picture is what you get. For me, this is a must try! It's very fragrant and well flavored with sesame and soy sauce. It's topped with a generous serving of chopped spring onions too. I always order this.

Fried Rice with Egg ($7)
This is yet another must try on the list! There is a hint of butter in the fried rice. It's probably cooked over a very big fire which gives it its smokey taste. When you bite into the rice, you'll find that it's of a rather starchy texture, which to me works perfectly fine.

Steamed Pork Dumplings ($9.80 for 10)
This is one of their signatures! It's also a must try! What i love about these steamed pork dumplings is that the meat is rather lean. These dumplings also contain soup which somehow is rather interesting and tasty.

Steamed Vegetable and Pork Dumplings ($9.80 for 10)
You'll be surpassed to find that this is 90% vegetable and only 10% pork. I wouldn't suggest you getting it. I personally like it as i find it very healthy (I am health conscious). Also, not many people would like the taste of it. It's pretty much an acquired taste- the more you try this, the tastier it gets!

Steamed Pork Buns ($1.60 for 1)
The filling is the same as the Steamed Pork Dumplings. I personally like their buns as i feel i'm getting so much more filling compared to the dumplings. It's really value for money because one bun is only about a dollar plus.

Steamed Chilli Crab and Pork Bun ($5.30 for 3)
For those who are not afraid of the spice and enjoy crab this is definitely a must get! I can taste the crab bits in this and having the bun there to absorb the spicy sauce is just divine. This is easily my top favourite on the Din Tai Fung menu!

The service at Din Tai Fung is always very efficient. They regularly top up your tea. They don't bring to you the bill though, you would have to go to the counter to pay for your meal.

If you're looking for a chinese restaurant with affordable prices and good food, Din Tai Fung will not disappoint!

Their list of restaurants may be found here: http://www.dintaifung.com.sg/locate-us.php.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

How we celebrated our first anniversary


Me and Gabriel celebrated our first anniversary at The Lighthouse Restaurant. I was introduced to this place by my cousin. Surprisingly, when we reached The Lighthouse, we realized that it had won numerous awards. 

The view on the way to the Lighthouse
I can easily say that this is the best restaurant i have been too. It comes with a heavy price tag though but for the ambience and good food, why not?

I was very intrigued because we first had to proceed to the 8th floor of The Fullerton Hotel and then take a another private lift that leads all the way to the doorsteps of this restaurant. The Lighthouse is an extremely exclusive place and a perfect choice for an intimate dinner.

Since it was still early, we decided to explore their rooftop bar as well. It is just right above The Lighthouse and the setting of it is extremely casual. Think, alfresco. 

Going up the staircase which leads to the rooftop bar
View from the rooftop bar
The view is absolutely gorgeous. You get a perfect view of the whole Marina Bay. The weather was especially good that day too and it was in the evening so that was a cool breeze that was blowing. And Gabriel is holding the book he made for me. :)

What i wore
This is one of the rare few times i actually doll up. I stole my mum's pearl necklace for this date and paired it with pearl earrings too. I think dolling up is the best part about going on dates… well of course the good food that comes with it too. :P

Our view at the table was perfect too. You can request to choose a seat near the window, which is what we did. It was a good choice because we got to see the sun setting down and the night view was simply breathtaking.

Moscato Wines ($18/glass)
Gabriel and I are avid fans of wines and we had chosen Moscato wine to pair with our meal. At first, we were rather disappointed that we were served with a 2009 bottle of wine. We would have very much preferred an older bottle of wine for the price we were paying. But after drinking the wine, we had absolutely no qualms. The wine was superb. Probably the best wine i have ever tasted.

We were served with bread to start off our meal. There isn't anything special about the bread, then again it's complimentary so i'm not complaining.

Lighthouse Signature Antipasti Platter ($29)
This is a definite must try. If i were to visit this place again, i would definitely order this. It comes with a whole range of all the antipasti they offer. I like the idea of it because you get a whole variety of everything.

It came with their Fritto Misto, a  crispy fried seafood with smoked pepper sauce. I thought that this was alright, nothing special so i would not recommend ordering it.

Next up, we tried their L'insalata Misticanza. The grilled vegetables and marinated tomatoes in balsamic dressing was nothing more than normal. You should give this a miss.

We also tried their Burrata, an imported buffalo burrata with tomatoes and sweet basil and extra vigil olive oil. This is worth ordering. The taste is really light so you need not worry if you don't like the taste of cheese because it tasted nothing like that. The cheese was of excellent quality and well mixed with fresh cream.

Their Capaccio is probably one of the best appetizer that we had. The thin sliced beef tenderloin was perfect and it melted in my mouth. The wild mushrooms, roasted pepper with rocket which accompanied this dish was a good combination too.

We also had a taste of their Astice, which consisted of sweet marine lobster with roasted peppers and basil. The lobster was really fresh but nothing spectacular or mind blowing about it.

My favorite out of all was their Prosciutto, the 18 months langhirano aged ham with smoked scamorza cheese and preserved eggplants. It was a bit on the salty side but the flavors was perfect, especially if you have the ham together with the smoked cheese. It is absolutely mind blowing and quite like nothing i have every tasted before. Probably the best dish i have ever tried.
Clockwise (from top left), their menu special crabmeat pasta,  Deliza Al Tartufo and the complimentary chocolate cake we received
The light was getting dim because the sun had set and i did not bring a good camera that day. So the quality of the photos isn't that good and that's why i had combined all the pictures into a collage!
The pictures certainly don't do justice to the food. For our mains, we had ordered their crabmeat pasta (which was their special deal of the month). I don't think you can get this on the menu anymore but it's a good thing because i thought this didn't quite make my expectations. The Bruno's crabmeat pasta was so much better, and so much more affordable.

The Deliza Al Tartufo is a must try though! Its a mini ravioli with truffle and mascarpone cheese inside. The sauce is a thick truffle based sauce too. It's perfect. The exterior is soft but not soggy, neither is it as hard as al dente pastas. The moment you taste the ravioli and bite into it, everything just crumbles and melts inside your mouth. What's more, the interior consists of a warm, smooth and good stuffing of flavored mascarpone cheese. It's the most perfect pasta i have ever tried.

Unfortunately, the only draw back of this pasta is its prize. For 6 of those mini raviolis, i paid a hefty cost of $28. But trust me, you won't regret it. It's the best thing i've ever tried!

Later towards the end of our dinner, we were surprised with a complimentary cake! It was so sweet of the staff and it really made our night. It was a huge slice too and probably caused around $15? The service i must say is fantastic! The service staff were all patient, gave good recommendations and fast with their service. The moment we finished one dish, they would clear our tables and serve the next dish immediately while it was still piping hot.


I would definitely recommend The Lighthouse for a special celebration. Gabriel and I have even made it a personal commitment to visit this place again for every anniversary together. But since this place it just too good, we'll probably be heading back there again this December after our exams. I'll definitely update this post with much better pictures then!

Sunday 9 November 2014

Sunday at Sushi Tei

We headed to Sushi Tei (East Coast) today. It was a good day today because this date was largely sponsored by gab's mum… hahaha.

The Sushi Tei outlet at East Coast. (Gabriel can be seen it in the background)
The interior of Sushi Tei (East Coast)
We're a big fan of Sushi Tei. We like Megumi at Upper East Coast a lot too and these are the two main places where we get our japanese fix.

We've always been ordering the dragon roll sushi but unfortunately, it was sold out today. We decided to go for Aburi roll and Dai Dai roll for our mains. Gabriel's mum had her favourite cha soba with grilled salmon.

We started off with some cold green tea. The cold green tea is really refreshing and the best part of it is that it's free! You don't have to pay an additional cost for it!

Cold green tea
We also had their salad for appetizer. It was their Kani Avocado salad. This is a must try if you're a fan of salads! Their crabstick is made up of real crab! The avocado slices were generous. It was really fresh and soft too.

Kani Avocado Salad ($9.80)
For this salad, you get to choose what dressing you want. We want for their traditional classic house dressing. I suggest getting it too because it feels really light unlike the other mayo based sauces. It certainly doesn't taste like those japanese salad dressings you can get off the supermarket. I thought their house dressing consisted of a good mix of sesame and miso.

Salmon Aburi Roll ($12.80)
We then had the Salmon Aburi roll next. I love the salmon a lot! It really melts in your mouth. Within the sushi roll is avocado and crab meat! It's a perfect mix.

We then tried their Dai Dai roll. It is our first time trying it! Surprisingly, this seems to be quite a popular dish!

Dai Dai Roll ($12.80)
It comes with some sashimi on the top with mango, crab meat inside. They had also nicely accompanied this dish with a mix of wasabi mayo and spicy mayo.

I thought that the mango seemed to be a bit out of place though. Everything was salty and having the mango made my sushi both sweet and salty, which i didn't really like. Gabriel thought that it was an refreshing change though. He really enjoyed this sushi and thought that the mango mix was a good idea. He thought that the fusion cuisine idea made the sushi a bit more "atas". Hahaha.

Cha Soba with Grilled Salmon ($11.80)
Gabriel's mum had the cha soba with grilled salmon. The cha soba was above average. The noodles was soft but we felt that the cha soba was not cold enough. We personally like our cha soba really cold. Nonetheless, it is salvaged by the very excellent dipping sauce that came with it. The salmon was very fresh as well and cooked to perfection. This is a meal if you're feeling health conscious and would like to opt for something low on the calories

Overall, i thought that Sushi Tei never fails if you're looking for good sushi especially. It's a bit pricey, but reasonable compared to other sushi/japanese places i've visited.

This sums up our Sunday. I have to get back to work but i promise i'll update this space consistently!

Sushi Tei
Big Splash
902 East Coast Parkway
#01-06 Blk B
Singapore 449874
Tel: 63487077

UPDATED: http://doriateo.blogspot.sg/2014/12/food-updates-more-sushi-tei-and-more.html

Saturday 8 November 2014

Saturdate at Royals!

Today was a really wonderful day. The weather isn't so hot anymore now that we've hit the rainy season. I really love this time of the year. It reminds me that Christmas is coming and i'm so excited for it!

Me and Gab headed to Royals along Upper East Coast for dinner today. We really love this place a lot. It's a nice little cafe. Its value for money too, however unfortunately the serving sizes are much smaller than before. Nonetheless, it's still good food!

Since Christmas is coming, they had already decorated the interior of the place with Christmas decorations!


My date who refused to take a proper picture
We eventually settled for our favourite Mee Siam and Pulled Beef Sandwich. For the Mee Siam, we ordered it as a set so it came with a dessert and drink.

They have all day breakfast as part of their menu too!
Royals is well known for its Mee Siam and Nasi Lemak! A lot of people come here to try it. Plus the prices are super value for money! But of course, it comes with GST and service charge. If you're craving for any of these foods or asian cuisine, this would definitely be a good bet!

It's interesting they have an all day breakfast too. I wouldn't suggest it. Personally, i've tried their scrambled eggs but i wasn't a fan of it. It was too buttery for my liking!

Pulled Beef Brisket and Swiss Cheese Sandwich
I love this. The pulled beef brisket is so well marinated and it is so lean! This is definitely something you should order if you're health conscious and craving for western food. They are very generous with their swiss cheese too so that's a plus. The salad is tossed in vinaigrette. It comes with potato chips but you can opt to change it for mash potato with no additional cost.

Their mash potato is so creamy and good! Sometimes i just order it alone. I just can't get enough of it!

Signature Nyonya Mee Siam
You might be worried that the Mee Siam is too spicy. It isn't! In fact even if your spice intolerant, you can give this a go! Gab is really spice intolerant but he managed to finish this. It only has a tinge of spice.

This Mee Siam is very rich in flavor, probably easily one of the best Mee Siams i have ever tried. It comes with a hard boiled egg, about 5 prawns and a generous serving of tau pok and beans sprout.
It's really perfect. You definitely have to try it!

Flat White
Since we ordered their Mee Siam as a set, it came with an additional drink and dessert. We chose their coffee and a brownie for dessert. Their coffee was surprisingly good too! It did not leave a sour aftertaste like most bad coffees do. In fact, i actually thought this coffee reminded me of Dimbulah's. Creamy and good.

Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Well, i thought that wasn't anything special about their dessert. It was just mediocre. The brownie was moist and good, but the serving size was way too small. If you want a proper dessert, this doesn't quite fix it.

In all, the Mee Siam which came in a set costs $13.50. The Pulled Beef Sandwich costs $13.50 as well. I wouldn't recommend getting the Mee Siam as a set since the dessert wasn't value for money in my opinion. If you get it alone without the set, it costs $5.90. It's really not worth it to pay and additional $8 just for the coffee and dessert.

Royals also sells a selection of bread. I myself brought back two cinnamon buns for $3! You can order their cakes too. If you're thinking of having a party, you can check out their mini bites too! You can also book the place for a private event (i.e. 21st birthday party) in the afternoon.

The Royals Cafe
19 Upper East Coast Road, Crescendo Building
Singapore 455209
Tel. 64456457

Thursday 6 November 2014

Food For Thought @ Queen Street

I just went to the Food For Thought outlet at Queen Street today. It's the outlet near Singapore Art Museum.

I remember this place used to be the express version of Food For Thought? They used to only sell burgers and they didn't sell their famous full works breakfast. Now they have included their normal menu at this outlet plus the burgers that they used to sell.

My favourite half works at the Food For Thought outlet at National Museum
Caught eating in action!
The Food For Thought outlet at Queen Street is very different in terms of ambience as compared to the National Museum one. There didn't seem to be much air conditioning at the Queen Street outlet. They had installed fans though but i still felt a bit hot. It's a high ceiling concept too.



The half works/ full works breakfast is always my usual, so this time i decided to try something different! Me and Gabriel opted for their burgers this time since the Food For Thought outlet we normally visit at the National Museum doesn't sell these burgers.

I opted for their slow roasted pulled pork burger. So did Gabriel.

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork Burger
The pulled pork was seasoned with BBQ sauce. It wasn't dry at all. In fact it was very moist so that's a thumbs up for me. There were some bits of fried sweet potato too so i thought that it was a really interesting twist! If you love your veggies, you'll like this burger too. They have a good mix of lettuce and carrots. It was accompanied with some scrambled eggs too. It tastes really good, and what's more i thought that it was a really healthy burger! Definitely for the health conscious.

You can order this burger with a side of fries or salad or fried sunny side up, but you'll have to pay an additional cost of $3 for it.

It costs $9 in total, which i thought was so overpriced for a small burger. I doubt you'll be full from it, because i wasn't. So although it tastes really good, i thought it wasn't value for money. It'll be so much better if i had stuck to my basic works/house works/ full works breakfast at Food For Thought. Personally, i thought that their breakfast menu was still a better choice!

Food For Thought
(Near Singapore Art Museum)
8 Queen Street
Singapore 188535
Tel: 63380837

UPDATED: http://doriateo.blogspot.sg/2014/12/food-updates-more-sushi-tei-and-more.html

Monday 3 November 2014

Japanese Food Craze at Daikokuya & Standing Sushi Bar

Gab and I have been going to Japanese restaurants lately! Just last saturday we went to Daikokuya at Raffles City  (大黑屋) to try out their ramen.
Tsukemen
I ordered their tsukemen and i thought the portion was too small. (I eat a lot for a girl)

It was not too bad but I felt that their broth was a little on the salty side. But the broth was well boiled apart from the saltiness of it.

The noodles was PERFECT. It wasn't too soft or too hard and I really liked the texture of it. Probably the best ramen noodles i ever had! I like it that the broth came separately, so i could choose how much i broth i needed to go with my noodles… and i could save on some calories too. heh. Oh. and it came with a lemon, which i didn't use because i didn't know how it was supposed to go with my meal.

Stamina Miso Ramen
Gabriel had their stamina miso ramen. It was one of their chef recommendations. Unlike my order, his portion was way too much (although the bowl looks pretty small).  It was quite a decent ramen, though not the best we tried. The only good part of this ramen was the japanese egg which was very well done. The consistency was just right, not too cooked and not to raw for my liking. It was also well marinated with the sauce.

We spent about $15 per pax. It's quite reasonable since most other ramen places offer the same amount for a bowl of noodles.

Dakikoyuka
#B1-13 Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
Tel: 63367456

Yesterday we went to Standing Sushi Bar as well. We've really been crazy over trying out new Japanese restaurants lately. I love japanese food! It always seems so much healthier.

It's good to go to Standing Sushi Bar especially when they have discounts. We ordered their salmon sashimi and it was only $3 for 5 pieces of it! We order sushi rice ($3.50 for a bowl of rice) to go together with our sashimi as well.

25 pieces of salmon sashimi!
Look at all that glorious sashimi! :O The cut was so much better and thicker than other places selling the $1.50 sushi like Sushi Express and Nihon Mura. I thought it was decent, though i have tried extremely good sashimi which melts in your mouth. But for the price, i could definitely make do with the sashimi from Standing Sushi Bar!


Stuffing my face silly with sashimi
I look terrible in the photos because i had just finished a three hour class. Which explains my hair. And my tired face.

We were so full, happy and satisfied after that. We paid $25.90 in total for 25 slices of salmon sashimi and 2 bowls of rice.

Standing Sushi Bar
8 Queen Street
s(188535)
Tel: 6333 1335
(It's near the Singapore Art Museum.)