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Ju Chun Yuan
we were in the office trying to satisfy our craving for Dim Sum and concluded that there weren't many affordable options in the CBD (Paradise Pavilion at MBFC and Imperial Treasure at Asia Square came to mind). It was hence a welcome relief that some colleagues recommended Ju Chun Yuan at Far East Square.
The restaurant actually specialises in Fuzhou cuisine. their lunch time ala carte Dim Sum buffet at $18++ was certainly a popular option amongst the CBD faithful. Fuzhou-styled Dim Sum has many spicy signatures, we ordered a few rounds of chilled-pork/beef shanks in spicy sauce as well as their famous sliced-chicken in spicy sauce. their chestnut pancake was also one of the specialities. 
this pork dumpling in spicy sauce was really good. the meat and water chestnut filling was really juicy and the sauce gave this interpretation of the dish an interesting kick. some of us went overkill with the pan fried selections, such as prawn dumplings, carrot cake and bean curd skin. pretty normal, i thought. 
Ju Chun Yuan's selection also came with traditional Dim Sum favourites such as char siew bao, cheong fun, siew mai and har gao amongst many others. i've seen earlier blog postings of the salted egg custard bun above, and i swore that neither the egg yolk nor the custard was oozing out of our servings. a little bit disappointing. their other Dim Sum was good though, we particularly loved the chicken feet and steamed spare ribs. 
coming with a ravenous big group has its advantages and we virtually tried everything on the menu, some dishes twice. some of the Fuzhou delights were really good and the wide spread certainly made the experience really worthwhile. The place would be good for casual lunches with colleagues but probably not for corporate lunches as service was a tad below par. nonetheless, this made good value-for-money, and if you really needed better service, there's always the options we mentioned above. 
Ju Chun Yuan 130 Amoy Street #01-01 Far East Square Singapore 049959 Opening Hours 12.00 pm to 2:30 pm 6.00 pm to 10:30 pm (open daily) They claim to be originators of 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall'.. Saveur
the restaurant serving affordable french cuisine along Purvis Street is all the rage for the weekday lunch crowds and the weekend dinner folks. created by a couple of young chefs who've had experience in top french restaurants locally, they've set out to bring the authentic french fare to the masses.
Saveur takes a quaint little corner tucked beneath a shophouse in the Bugis area, their french food offerings at very affordable prices ensured that anyone would expect a fairly decent queue whenever they arrived. on weekend peaks, we had been told to wait for close to forty minutes for a table. 
the interiors are designed to give a cosy feel with some interesting wall-art to distract you from a fairly long wait for the food. there are not many tables within the restaurant and the slightly longer turnover further explains the long wait. the dishes served are intended to give you a somewhat fine-dining experience, hence be expected that they'd take a while longer.. 
we started off with some of their popular entree dishes to get into the mood. The Saveur Pasta is a savoury mix of cappellini mixed with minced konbu pork and spices. it has shades of the local minced-pork noodles and is hugely popular with the local clientele. we knew that Saveur prided itself in its duck based dishes, so we ordered a duck salad as well, which came with mixed vegetables and quail's eggs. 
of course, we didn't miss their signature dish of Duck Confit. served with mashed potatoes, shitake mushrooms and a dash of orange sauce, the meat was tender, tasty and went well with the condiments. we wanted to compare how they did their Poulet chicken with that chain restaurant, but alas, it was sold out by the time we arrived. 
nonetheless, we also recommend the Chicken Roulade, which was chicken thigh with basmati rice and foie gras. particularly loved the rice, which was well baked and made the dish very flavourful. We also tried the pan-seared seabass with crabmeat, potatoes and asparagus. The fish was really fresh, but we found the dish forgettable. Saveur prepares some really nice desserts too, and you could try the Pistachio Panna Cotta to top off your meal. in all, no complaints from a really value-for-money french restaurant. the wait could be a little long, and the portions may be small, but for that price range, you could easily go for greater variety and enjoy a decent french meal with your loved ones. 
Saveur 5 Purvis Street #01-04 Singapore 188584 Opening Hours Mon to Sat: 12 pm to 2.15 pm; 6 pm to 9.15 pm Sundays: 6 pm to 9.00 pm French cuisine at down-to-earth prices Waffles and Coffee
the past few weekends have actually been really slow and boring, spent the days cafe hopping to basically people-watch, read a book and simply pass the time away. if you happen to have the luxury (or in some cases misfortune) to do this sometimes, there are some places that i liked, particularly for their waffles and their coffee..Creamier 
starting with this humble looking shop beneath a HDB block in Toa Payoh. despite not being located within Toa Payoh Central (you'd need a feeder bus to get here), this place is always packed in the evenings and on weekends. school-going kids ensure that even the weekdays could be fairly busy. and why not, this little heartland joint is giving the more popular ice-cream joints a run for their money. do try their waffles with Roasted Pistachio or Earl Grey flavoured ice-cream .. Creamier Toa Payoh Lorong 1 Blk 128 #01-835 Singapore 310128 (closed on Mondays) Hoshino Coffee 
this japanese fusion cafe set up shop in the new wing of Plaza Singapura. like many eateries in this mall, snaking queues are part and parcel of their profile. the restaurant boasts a good variety of fusion rice and pasta choices, but it's their coffee and desserts that truly stand out. Their hand-dripped Hoshino Coffee is the signature creation, and we tried the Pancake Souffle Style with Matcha and Ogura Bean Paste as well as their French Toast with ice-cream served in a pan. a real good sugar rush.. Hoshino Coffee #03-84 Plaza Singapura 68 Orchard Road Singapore 238839 Lavender Bakery & Bistro 
i'd quite like this quiet little cafe for their waffles and coffee, the only slight problem is that it's located in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. its a short drive from the Causeway really, this bakery cum cafe is situated just up Taman Pelangi. the cafe is a quiet place for reading or surfing under their free wifi. I love their cappuccino as well as their waffles with strawberry ice cream. don't forget to bring home their specialty lapis cake too! Lavender Bakery & Bistro 64, 66 & 68, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi Johor Bahru, 80400, Malaysia Habitat 
this place believes that coffee creates a window to a time well spent, so it is no wonder that the little joint along Upper Thomson Road is pretty popular for their coffee offerings. the 2 storey shop-house doesn't seat many people so it is advisable to avoid the peak periods. they serve up an aromatic interpretation of the cappuccino and their flavoured coffees are worth a try too. we particularly liked their hazelnut coffee and their affogato. this place does all day breakfast too. Habitat 223 Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574355 Strangers' Reunion 
this cafe joint in the Outram area is all the rage now. founded by a national barista champion, the little shop just beneath Singapore General Hospital is perpetually packed to the brim. despite their extremely busy and noisy environment, the energetic service staff were always moving around to attend to the customers' needs. Magic is the name of their signature award-winning coffee, though their flat-white turned out to be an equally good brew. much have been said about their buttermilk waffles with ice cream and they truly lived up to their name. warm and crispy on the base, to go with vanilla ice cream and fresh fruits. excellent, and certainly worthy of another visit.. Strangers' Reunion 37 Kampong Bahru Road Singapore 169356 there are many other coffee and dessert joints sprouting out recently, but if you are up for some cafe-hopping for waffles and coffee, you may want to check these places out. 
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka
this ramen chain is staking its claim as one of the best interpretations of the dish in Singapore. Though we've been here a few times, this is the first time i decided to share my thoughts on it, and maybe you could decide for yourself by trying it, and comparing against the better ones you've tasted so far..
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has outlets across Japan, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and various cities in South-East Asia. it prides itself for its salt-based ramen broths which the Hokkaido natives thoroughly enjoy, due to their wintry conditions. i thought the idea of having the sweetened egg served to us in small little nuggets was pretty cute.. 
apart from their Miso/Shio/Shoyu based ramen, a specialty feature of this chain would be their Toroniku or grilled pork cheek slices. this can be served with the ramen, or as an ala carte side dish, which is highly popular amongst patrons here. the slices are tender, grilled to perfection and is more flavourful than typical char-su that ramen stalls serve. 
another popular favourite would be their Tonkatsu, or deep fried pork cutlet, served with a special Tonkatsu sauce. the well-breaded crust together with its soft texture somehow makes it a cut above your typical bento servings of this dish. we also tried their steamed gyoza and their mixed rice sets - complete with a small bowl of ramen, chawan-mushi, salad and a small serving of rice. 
personal preference, but i really felt that the rice-sets took the focus away from the ramen itself. many popular ramen joints have thin menus simply because they focus mainly on their ramen choices and a couple of sides. at Santouka, the ramen itself revolved around their salt-based broth, and their pork cheeks. i personally like my ramen texture hard, so i found their recent servings to be a little soggy and soft. as for the broth, i still felt the best i've tasted was at Hakata Ikkousha (to be featured).. we also tried their spicy-based Kara-Miso Ramen which could have been spicier, we thought.. i also missed their Akihabara Shoyu Ramen, which i enjoyed from my first few outings here but the dish has since been taken off the menu. nonetheless, one glance at the evening dinner crowd is enough to tell you that many locals rate Santouka highly. if you are a fan of salt-based ramen well immersed in its broth, this is the place to go. and after all, their pork cheeks are also totally worth it.. 
Hokkaido Ramen Santouka 21 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace Singapore, 229452 Opening Hours Monday to Friday: 12 pm to 3 pm; 5.30 pm to 12 am Saturday: 12 pm to 12 am Sunday: 12 pm to 9.30 pm The pork-based soup takes over 20 hours to prepare.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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