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Taste Paradise
i have long concluded that you cannot stroll into a dim sum joint in Singapore and enjoy the most delicious dim sum at roadside fare the way we always do when we're in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, amid dwindling standards at some of our local old-school names, good quality dim sum can still be found here; you might just need to endure a queue for a few hours or pay a little premium for it..
having tried and given the thumbs up to Royal China and Paradise Pavilion, we did a weekend gathering over at Taste Paradise (ION Orchard) to check out their dim sum there. having a big group for the day, we let loose and ordered the full range of their much raved about dishes. 
i still suspect there's a dash of local influence into some of the dim sum dishes, but over at both Paradise Pavilion and Taste Paradise, their fried cheong fun and fried carrot cake in XO sauce are their best-sellers. stir fried with egg and bean sprouts, the fragrant XO sauce and little bit of chilli totally suits our local palette. 
another signature dish, albeit somewhat controversial, is their double-boiled shark's fin dumpling soup. we'd hereby risk the wrath of the marine lovers to declare that the soup was excellent. a well boiled soup with an ample serving of shark's fin, one of the more unique dim sum creations on the menu. 
this is what the Paradise Group are about. coming up with creative interpretations of traditional dim sum fare and coining it their signature. this fried tofu in black truffle sauce looks harmlessly normal, but the seasoning applied to this deep fried tofu makes you want a second bite. i guess if you're gonna pay quite abit more for tofu, it'd better taste special. 
that's the massacre contributed by 7 people. special mention should be made to some traditional dim sum dishes that we thought were pretty well done. we absolutely enjoyed the Siew Mai, the steamed custard buns, the chicken claws and the glutinous rice with chicken. in all, it was a good, delectable spread. ambience wise, we somehow preferred Royal China or Paradise Pavilion more. considering you'd be paying equally good money for the dim sum spread here, we somehow felt that the folks at Taste Paradise were more eager to have a faster turnover. nevertheless, for a day of good family fun or a lazy afternoon gathering amongst friends, Taste Paradise's dim sum is an option right at the heart of Orchard Road. 
Taste Paradise 2 Orchard Turn ION Orchard #04-07 Singapore 238801 Opening Hours Mon to Fri: 11.30 am to 3 pm (last order 2.30 pm) 6 pm to 11 pm (last order 10 pm) Sat, Sun & PH: 11 am to 4.30 pm (last order 3.30 pm) 6 pm to 11 pm (last order 10 pm) Place your reservations early and call again a day before to confirm.. Tsukada Nojo (Updated)
we revisited the collagen hotpot place at the new Plaza Singapura extension recently again. this update from our last posting in September 2013 will give better perspective of Tsukada Nojo (or Tsukada Farm), the makers of the organic collagen-based hotpot from Kyushu, Japan.
the restaurant comes in a classic japanese timber setting and tables fitted with an electronic induction cooker for their one famous signature dish, the Bijin Nabe or chicken collagen pot. they will serve you this collagen pudding you see below, which will be heated until it melts into a thick savoury broth. The chicken that comes with it is this rare breed of Jittoko chicken which is apparently raised organically in Kyushu. the collagen that makes the Jidori chicken soup is claimed to be purely from the Jittoko chicken bones, with no artificial ingredients.. 
once the soup simmers, the staff will scoop a small serving into a sake cup for you to try. you'd find that the collagen taste is strong, without any hint of artificial flavouring. 
with the soup done, the other ingredients for the Bijin Nabe hotpot will be thrown in. this includes Tori Tsukune (chicken meatballs), deep friend tofu, mushrooms and other organic fruits & vegetables. the dish will also come with prawns and your choice of noodles which you can put into the pot at any time. we went for the ramen-styled thin egg noodles which were springy and went well with the soup. for info, this entire offering is $25 per pax (minimum of 2 pax to serve) and the collagen pudding can be refilled by the number of additional people (i.e. 3 people, 2 rounds of refills). 
besides the Bijin Nabe, there were also a couple of side dishes that we ordered. their Nanban Chicken, which was served with their own tartar sauce was not bad, though we felt that they applied a tad too much cream on it. however, we found their homemade Tamagoyaki omelette to be really delicious! they also have some unique dessert offerings, and we tried their mango pudding as well as their Yuzu Sorbet, both of which were served in very creative fashion. 
be warned though, the average waiting time for this place is 2 hours on weekends and they don't take weekend reservations. and once their queue numbers are taken up, you'd have to come back another day, so do try to visit before 7 pm. lunch time is actually when you could make it into Tsukada Nojo without much challenge. their collagen-based ramen takes centre-stage during this time slot. 
their Bijin Men sets are actually pretty interesting, where they serve up this tray of ingredients which also serves as the cover for ramen with collagen soup broth below. the noodles are well simmered in the soup and you'd get a choice of either thin egg noodle, rice noodle or thick mochi noodles. We could also decide if we'd like the soup base to be shoyu, shio or red hot styled. while this comes with slightly steeper than regular ramen pricing, i guess the variety of ingredients well makes up for it. 
in all, Tsukada Nojo gives a very different dining experience, a nice change from typical Japanese fare. they even have this interesting loyalty programme system where you will be given "name-cards" for each visit. you will start off with the rank of Assistant Manager and will be given more privileges as you rise from General Manager to CEO. and with food offerings like these, i think i'd be fast climbing up the Tsukada Nojo corporate ladder. 
Tsukada Nojo 68 Orchard Road Singapore 238839 Plaza Singapura #03-81 Opening Hours 10 am to 10 pm (daily) I wonder if the CEO gets to jump queue.. Kim's Family Korean Restaurant
it's quite hard to imagine going to a local community centre to search for good food, but that's exactly what we did. Kim's Family Korean Restaurant is popular amongst Korean food lovers in western Singapore. originating at Lorong Kilat, it has sprouted two more branches at Sunset Way and if you believe it, within West Coast community centre.
not exactly a fan of Korean food but have already been here a couple of times in recent weeks. the distinct thing about this restaurant is that their mains are served with a plethora of sides! their Banchan or side dishes come in 10 different types, and are refillable when finished. of the lot, the Kimchi cabbage, seaweed, mushrooms, gluten and spinach were particularly well liked (the fruits tasted sour). 
apart of the nice feature wall and TV console, the entire restaurant has a pretty much utilitarian layout (it's in a community centre). the functional long tables provides the space to serve the wide range of dishes available there. from barbecued meat to army-stew hotpot to set meals and ala carte dishes, Kim's has them all. the food come in ample proportions and are reasonably priced; but if its only two of you eating, do order in small portions. 
this Kimchi soup is deceptively filling. mixed with vegetables, glass noodles, seafood (including clams) and small pieces of pork, it takes some effort to get to the bottom of this. we ordered an extra spicy version of it so the Kimchi was particularly flavourful and well soaked with the ingredients.. 
the army-stew hotpot could probably feed an army. i never quite understood this dish, as i often see it as a mish-mash of random ingredients boiled in Kimchi soup. yet many found this mixture of ramen, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, fungi, seafood and pork to be comfort-food. Kim's version of the army stew took somewhat long to cook, we probably already cleared one round of Banchan before the soup started boiling. the Kimchi base was rather mild and wasn't as flavourful as the other Kimchi dishes served here. 
nonetheless, we found this restaurant to offer good value for money, particularly if you ordered their set meals such as chicken/beef bulgogi or saba fish. we observed that the barbecued meat was popular amongst the patrons and came in hearty servings of meat slices. don't forget to top-off your meal with some Makkoli (rice wine), which will certainly cap your Korean experience in the heartlands on a high. 
Kim's Family Korean Restaurant 2 Clementi West Street 2, #01-01 (West Coast Community Centre) Singapore 129605 Opening Hours 12 pm to 3 pm daily (Last Order: 2.30 pm) 5.30 pm to 10 pm daily (Last Order: 9.30 pm) Closed on every first and third Monday of the month.. Dallas Restaurant & Bar
it was over the Christmas holidays so we thought of featuring some ang mo jiak. have been going to this really chill restaurant along Boat Quay for gatherings and birthday celebrations amongst friends, so we finally thought of giving them some air-time.
Dallas Restaurant & Bar is popular amongst both expatriates and locals working in the CBD area. Located along Boat Quay, it comes with a chill al-fresco area, a cosy bar-top counter as well as, a chic indoor restaurant setting on the upper floors. while it is popular amongst the working crowd on weekdays, the strong Australian influence within this bar ensures that the weekends are packed, especially on Australia Day or when the Wallabies are playing.. Their ribs shown above is their speciality. 
most patrons coming to Dallas will rave about their pork ribs. the baby-back ribs come either with berry sauce or done fiery style. it is common fare for big groups to share one entire rack, although a half-rack makes a good individual serving also. the ribs are tender, has ample chunks of pork and in our opinion, gives Tony Romas a good run for their money. to atone for this sinful feast, Dallas serves up a good Caesar's salad as well. 
a personal favourite is their lamb cutlets with mustard and mint sauce. lamb dishes are often delicate to prepare, having to balance its texture as well as the strong after-taste which is often why people shun away from the dish. the lamb cutlets served isn't too hard, well grilled to bring out its juiciness (without too strong an after-taste) and well seasoned in the sauce. good meat has to come with good wine and Dallas comes with quite a wide selection. You could either order by the bottle or in a glass, our personal favourites are the Rieslings (for white wine) and the Sauvignons (for red). in all, Dallas makes a good place for a great social gathering. you shouldn't be surprised if you people even throwing their Wedding receptions and corporate parties here too. 
Dallas Restaurant & Bar 31 Boat Quay Singapore 049820 Opening Hours Monday to Thursday: 11 am to 12 am Fridays: 11 am to 2 am Saturdays: 12 pm to 2 am Sundays: 12 pm to 11 pm Strictly no reservations for level 1 on Wednesdays to Fridays |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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