Fish & Co (Park Mall, Singapore) Review

The other night a party of us ended up going to Fish & Co at Park Mall (after unsuccessfully trying to get a table at the nearby Sakura International Buffet restaurant - we turned up without a reservation, and was turned away).

The visit actually started out in an optimistic vein. We had a hyper waiter come over to highlight their "Ladies Night" special. 1-f0r-1 on selected dishes. Cool, or so we thought. And I appreciate that you could ask for water for free (When a group of us went to Mad Jack at Nex, that new shopping centre near Serangoon MRT, recently, we had to pay for mineral water. Oh, and their brownie was overdone -- parts of it had turned hard, like biscuit!).

One of my friends ordered one of her favourites at Fish & Co - calamari rings fried in batter. The batter was not too thick, and the calamari was soft. A good start to our meal. A fairly generous serving too for under $10.

Then... our fish with peri-peri sauce came (that was one of the dishes under the 1-for-1 Ladies Night promo). It seemed like the best choice on paper. The picture on the menu looked inviting, and peri-peri sauce sounded different in a good way. Big mistake. The sauce was way too salty. I had to scrape most of it off the fish. If you ever go to Fish & Co, do not order this!!!

Overall, the service was average. Don't get me wrong - the staff do try hard! But the restaurant was obviously too busy for them to give everyone the fastest service.

Also, that's one location I would not choose to go to again. Too noisy for me!

Value Buy: Honey (or Honey Bee) Mango from Thailand

If you're in Singapore, now's the time to buy mangoes if you love them.

The fabulous Honey Mangoes or Honey Bee Mangoes from Thailand are going for really reasonable prices, under $0.90 per mango in 'buy 2' or 'buy 3' deals (my mum found a $1.35 for 2 deal in a supermarket recently, but that's probably exceptional).

The best thing about this variety is that the flesh is sweet and smooth (not fibrous). And they taste great even when they're still firm and mostly green. This mango turns yellower as it ripens.

Small wonder then that shoppers have been snapping these mangoes up!

Best Acar Recipe!

My mum raves about my auntie's acar recipe. And now her son-in-law has put it up!


http://unclephilipsg.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-mother-in-laws-nonya-acar-recipe.html

And while you're at Uncle Phil's blog, check out his other posts. He himself is a really good cook, so it's worth checking out his various recipes as well!

Cafe Cartel After-9-pm half price cakes

I don't think I've mentioned this before but a few friends and I meet at Plaza Singapura quite often. And what do we do after dinner? Adjourn to Cafe Cartel, where they have a 50% discount on cakes after 9 pm. That works out to around $3 (inclusive of taxes, etc.) per slice. A comfy place to chat, at a price less than what you'd pay at a bakery. A good deal, really.

Eating Out: Wonton Mee Recommendation

Foong Kee Coffee Shop
6 Keong Saik Road

Foong Kee is one of those places that I would unequivocally recommend for wonton noodles.

When I visited the stall, what I particularly liked about their noodles was that it was not sweet. For those who don’t know, they tend to put in sweet sauce into dry-tossed noodles here in Singapore. (Hmmm… come to think of it, maybe that’s why I’ve avoided wanton mee cooked outside for many years. I still have northern Malaysian food sensibilities which dictates that dry-tossed noodles must be salty).

And, even though I’m not the greatest fan of roasted pork or char siew, the stall’s specialities, I enjoyed eating the meats they served there. The skin of the roasted pork was really crispy. And the char siew was quite juicy (my friend bought some for me to take back for my mum to try, and she gave it the seal of approval - so it MUST be good). I have to say though that the meat I enjoyed the most was the roast duck, but only because I LOVE roast duck in the first place.

The friend who brought me there said that one of the secrets to their great-tasting roasted meat is that they are always fresh from the oven. And tasting the meats, I can believe that.

Check out this food review blog, which has all the details, and pictures as well: http://ieatishootipost.sg/2007/03/foong-kee-wanton-mee-wanton-mee.html


This post is adapted from an earlier post of mine here.

Dining at the new Jurong Point 2: What’s good what’s not

Dian Xiao Er
This restaurant strikes the right note immediately with the colourful mural at the entrance, leading into a rustic-looking space. But the best part must be the food. We tried their signature dish, Herbal Duck, choosing the one with Angelica herbs, the Mongolian Spare Ribs, and Yu Mak in Fermented Sauce, and really enjoyed everything they laid out for us.

OldTown White Coffee
On the other end of the scale, mum tried the curry mee there, and could not eat it. Tasted like curry powder added to water! The icky part? the fish cakes were stale. And the staff just kept quiet when she made these observations while paying. Teething problems? Maybe. My mum had tried the food at another branch in KL, and rather enjoyed it. (Additional comment: I met another KL-ite recently and she said the same thing, that OldTown White Coffee in KL is much better).

Jia Xiang Mee
Noodles from Sarawak, or so they say. Service was fast, and their signature dish, jia xiang mee, was tasty. Ingredients were also fresh, another plus. But $6+ for what is essentially a bowl of wanton mee? hmmm…

Lai Lai Casual Dining
A neighbour of ours warned us not to eat the mee sua at this one. And she said that if we were to go, just try the beef dishes. She was not impressed.

Zhou’s Kitchen
We took a look at their lunch buffet spread, and honestly, it all looked very tempting. Good value if you’ve got a good appetite and you enjoy Chinese food.

Cheap-and-Good "Siew Mai" (chinese dumpling)

If you love Siew Mai, my family found a yummy version selling at the supermarket -- Sin Mui Heng Fish & Shrimp Siew Mai. My family finds it at least as good as the siew mai you can get the food court, and it costs you 70-80% less.

For the rest of my post, go here:

http://crookedturret.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/insingapore-cheap-and-good-siew-mai-chinese-dumpling/

Value Buy: Roti Prata (also called Roti Canai in Malaysia)

Finding trouble getting good Roti Prata these days? Or, if the roti prata is great, crisp and puffy, the curry that's served with it is diluted and substandard?

Just look to the supermarket.

My family likes the Spring Home Roti Paratha (SGD2.40 for a pack of 5). They're really easy to keep (stick it in the freezer until you're ready to eat it) and prepare (pan-fry from frozen). Tip: After frying, scrunch the roti prata for a softer texture.

Fairprice also has its own house brand roti prata. Doesn't taste as good as the ones by Spring Home, but still better than many roti prata you find these days. And they're even cheaper.

The only thing with buying these frozen packs is that you have to prepare the curry yourself. But the good news is: it's not difficult to make a curry. Browse the internet for simple curry recipes, and experiment until you find a version that you like.

You can also try eating roti prata with ice-cream (yum!) or fruits. And I enjoy roti prata with jam as well.