Basil Alcove (YUM)

Jian & I went to dat 'Basil Alcove' today, wifout advance booking. Twas full house, so we left his numba wif d waita & went to (a veri empty) 'Roomful of Blues' to hv a dwink whilst waitin. We had 2 pints of Erdinger (bottled one) for $22+++ ($25 sumfing). D bartenda was frenly tho...

Wen we went back afta gettin d call frem 'Basil Alcove', d pony-tailed waita was veri frenly & he went thru d chef's recommendations & wot's unavailable (d bratwurst sausage). Jian says dat he shood b a deejay, cos he speeks well & is very talkatif... He hisself asso said (wifout us promptin) dat he was, wen I was askin him abowt d 'The Beer to Dine For' beer. Came inna big (750ml) bottle as d small one is currently unavailable. Dis beer is speshulli designd to go wif food one, as it is less gassy (nowt flat hor) & FROOTY.... Yummi! 1 bottle $14.20... I fink... It's lyk a hybrid beer/wine dwink.

We startd wif a mixd mushroom plate fing ($6.80) Is shitake & button. Comes wif a balsamic vinegar wif olive oil dip. Nice... tho I wish d vinegar was a bit mo sticky so it cood adhere isself to d mushrooms betta... But I suppose is ok, cos we dun realli want d taste to ovapowa d mushrooms rite?

Den came d 1/2 dozen mussels ($4.80). Cookd wif garlic & got sum watery sauce. Nice asso.

Jian had de lamb rack ($16.80).... Drizzled wif interestin sauce (2 types I fink... one has marmalade. Wait fer Jian to wake up, den I will ask him again). Medium rare. TENDA!!!! SWEET!!!

I had d pan-fried cod ($16.80). D veges had pomegranate seeds thrown in asso. Dose lil red balls are d pomegranate seeds! Added sum zest to d dish... Of cos, d cod isself is aready yummi. Had carrot foam/froth!!! Dat's d yellow stuff dat lewks lyk it's oozing out of god-knows-where.... I fink it was supposed to be seated on top of d cod, tho... I've neva eaten carrot foam/froth before!! *faint*

We had between us, 1 Leffe Blonde ($6.90) & 1 Hoegaarden ($6.90)(330ml bottles) & a big (750ml) 'The Beer to Dine For' ($14.20).

Total bill: $74.20. No service charge one.

Happi Belated Burfday to me!!!

Yew lot shood try d Chicken wif Avocado & Peach asso. D dish oni costs less dan $10 (I fink is $7.90 or $8.90 or summat) & d peach goes VERY well wif d chicken n avocado (of cos rite, if nowt, he woon add d peach to d dish). I fed my fren a moufful & she almost faintd. (Akcherli, it sorta reminds me of TCC's Chicken & Mango Sannie. Similar concept.... Dis marryin of frooty flavours wif chicken is a veri gewd fing!!! *Pats my tum*)

De next time we go back to Basil, we gonna try d next 2 fings on d menu (werkin our way down bah)... D duck & d pork ribs......

Book in advance on Saturdays (& prolli Fridays too). Gets crowded.

Basil Alcove
190 Middle Road
#01-07, Fortune Centre
(S) 188979
(You got to walk out of the building. It is along Middle Road)
Tel: 63361318
Opening hours: 12pm to 10pm daily; closed on Mondays
I fink dey close fer lunch at 3pm tho... or sumfing... & re-open fer dinna at dunno wot time.

Jian said dat dere is anotha place around Bugis dat has a similar concept to Basil Alcove. Dat Xiaxue blogga was invited to eat dere. He wantd to try, but got turnd off by d restaurant's media-whore-ishness. I am goin to read abowt it now.... Lata den drag him dere n try.

Mind, I know dat d pikchures are nowt veri gewd... (Where's my trusty Sony Ericsson k750i wen yew nid it?? 2.o megapixels betta dan nothing...)

01/01/2007- Sorri. Bin informd dat dey open at abowt 12(+)pm to 2:30pm fer lunch & re-open fer dinna at 6:30pm fer dinna. Last ordas at 9:30pm.

Catering for Parties

We recently celebrated Eve's birthday party and instead of catering from outside, we decided to do it ourselves. Satellite, Lynx and I (Dracoholic) prepared the food for the evening. We told guests that there'll be canapes, and I guess most of them thought that meant there wouldn't be much to eat! Oh well, we did have a great deal of left overs because people went and had their dinner first ... boohoo too bad for them.

Anyway after this experience we've decided that we are open to catering for other people's parties; no more than 50 pax. Post on this site should you want us to quote you for an event you want to hold. We prepare the food only, if you want us to make your place look pretty and make sure everything is beautiful and professionally done, well we can do that too but you'll have to give us a bigger budget!

Look at the spread we had that night! We prepared both hot and cold canapes for everyone to enjoy!

Some more close ups for ya!

Well for the cold dishes you can see for yourself! We had our typical vegetable snack platter and our usual cheese and coldcut platter! Then of course we had several types of deviled eggs, crackers with crabmeat and tuna and wasabi mayo prawn cocktail, topped with caviar. Some quail eggs with sea salt dips. Cucumber cups filled with yummy stuffing and garnished with caviar, carrots, and turnips. Lemon grass beef wrapped in rice rolls with a thai dipping sauce.

The of course we had our hot dishes which definitely included wings, marinated in a I don't remember what I put in there type of sauce. Then there was muscles baked in a tomato cream sauce with yellow peppers for colour. Fried crabshells and potato wrapped prawns; last but not least we made crab rangoon, which everyone took to quite well. I was surprised because rarely will you find crab rangoon in singapore; and people probably think stuffing a wanton skin with cream cheese and crabmeat is a bit weird! Well people liked it so I'm happy!

We had some type of banana muffin which Lynx baked up but I don't think we managed to take a picture of that. We didn't take enough photos this time, but soon we will be having a tasting session at Curve to kick off our catering hobby. If you're bored with the food you get from outside caterers, give us a try. We put a spin on things!

Ah yes ... one more thing ... we achieved all the food preparations within 6 hours, that was inclusive of going to the supermarket where Satellite and myself didn't have time to browse at all ... we just rushed in and bought all the items we needed!

I Wan Jian To Bring Me Go Eat.........

......... Thaksin Beef Noodles!!! We dun haf pictures becos wen d food comes, I will dig in straightaway, & Jian coon be botherd to, cos he doesn't fancy Thaksin very much :S Dat means I havn't eaten Thaksin Beef Noodles for a VERY long time!!! I know Satellite wans to try asso! I tell yew all ar... If yew orda d $3.50 bowl, it is quite nice, cos d soup dey use is VERY VERY tasty!! No m.s.g. & is very nice & herballi... But d cut of meat is nowt so gewd... Dey use d fatty bits (brisket?) & nowt so much meat, tripe & stuff... But if yew orda d $5 bowl, It has nicer meat (nowt so much fats one, Jian says dat is sliced beef, cos he's sittin near me correctin my mistakes & promptin me to say dis & dat), TENDON (my FAV), & dey realli do gif yew alot of meat... Jian tarpowd for me d $6 bowl on my burfday cos I was werkin dat day... Very nice!!! MANY MANY pieces of tendon!!!!!!!

Oh & d one we always go to is d one at Clementi. We tried once at d Seah Im Food Centre (opp Harbourfront), But dere was no tendon wif d $5 bowl & dey served d noodles in disposable plastic bowls & d utensils were asso disposable... Cannot mek it la....

Jian says to say dat dere is kangkong inside, basil leaves, d noodles day use is not noodles, but RICE NOODLES (He mite as well b d one bloggin)... Yew can choose between kway teow or beehoon... I havn't tried wif beehoon yet... Mebe WEN Jian brings me, next time (SOON) I will try d beehoon.... God knows, It prolli tastes d same!!!

Wen we eat thai beef noodles, we mus always put d 4 condiments dey supply. Chilli flakes, fish sauce, vinegar & garlic chilli sauce & sugar... (Asso Jian said to say one)

I mus rememba to tek a pic d next time we go!!!

It is located at d same coffeeshop as 'Brothers Rojak' (opp d OCBC bank) at:

Blk 449 Clementi Ave 3,
#01-211

P.S. D next post shood b by Jian abowt 'Brothers Rojak'. He kips tellin me wot to write & how to write it & am dam fed up wif him. Is nowt fun bloggin abowt food anymo!!!!!

Update 30 July 2011:

Yes, we are still gong back to eat Thaksin. In fact, I had it twice this week already. My friend mentioned that the OX fish soup was good too & I might try it some day. A lot of people were having that as well, so it looks like a good bet. Anyway, a picture of the Thaksin beef noodles...




You can see my 2 pieces of tendon floating at the top already! They are more towards the bottom of the picture.. MMMM-MMMM!!! Still as good as ever!

Wham Burger!!!

And it first started with Chicken Burgers ... then they figured if we sell chicken burgers, we should sell fish, and if we're going to sell fish, we mind as well add beef to the menu too!

Wham! Burger, located at China Square B1 is serving up delicious east meets west type of burgers that are to drool for! Add there homemade chilli which is really spicy and you get yourself a chilli burger!

The owner states that all her burgers are made with a special and secret recipe ... and as much as I tried cornering her into the side of her kitchen to get the recipe but she wouldn't budge!

Although the burgers don't look like much, well you'll definitely go back for more, beats the likes of carl's junior, macs and BK! I mean it's real meat, that still is nice and juicy, with a mysterious blend of seasoning. Definitely everyone must try once, so anytime you are in the area of China Square or Far East Square that area, remember to drop by and be Wow'd by the burger that packs a punch WHAM! BURGER.

Mala Mala and More Mala

Hot fiery steamboat from Chongqing China has become quite a big hit in Singapore over the last few years. I think the earliest Mala 麻辣 — "numb and spicy" restaurants were the Magic of Chongqing Hot Pot19 Tanglin Rd #04-06/07 Tanglin Shopping Centre and the famous Bugis $11 Buffet Steamboat located on Beach Road. By the way, Beach Road itself has a few stores competing for business. I think we can name Bugis Beach Road area Steamboat Lane soon!!!!


Of late, there have been Chongqing Mala Steamboat places popping up all around the island and since we are such Mala freaks, we decided to review a few places.


So far, our vote goes to the latest steamboat place we've tried Chuan Jiang Hao Zi Steamboat (direct translation, Village Head Son's Steamboat) at Smith Street. The pricing cannot beat the Bugis joints but food is fresh and the mala has a very authentic and different taste from it. I can't say that it's the spiciness of the chilli's that give the effect of Ma, but it's actually a spice or herb they are using that makes the soup base Ma! The owner won't give up the special recipe; it's a secret she says!!!

For a more exagerative review, Lynx will probably tell you the soup is magical. Apparently some people have been asking the owners if they place opium into their soup as people keep coming back for more.

I think the next place we gotta try is the one at Novena boasting that they are the true real Mala steamboat place. I can't quite remember the name right now but I do remember it is around Novena Church that side.

Archipelago Brewery

Click on d title... Go on... CLICK.... Yar, I knw dat dis is nowt d official Archipelago Brewery site k... but dat's nowt d point.... Jian & I walkd past d newer branch at China Sq or dereabowts dat day.... & d prices dat dis site quoted were NOWT normal prices!!! Dey gif us d HAPPI HOUR PRICE!!!! Dat means dat... de beer is FUCKIN expensif la!!!! I fink it's like.. $13 a pint.... MIND YEW ok.... Deir 'pints' are dose small small goblets fings... Like.... half-pint size?? HOW DARE dey call em 'pints'!!!! Actualli for a long time aready, Jian & I have bin inspectin d lil pics of dese so-calld 'pints' on d webby & bein vvvv suspicious of d size..... I almost faintd wen I saw d 'pint' wif my own eyes!!!!! $13 fer a half-pint?? *Faints* Happi hour price asso not happenin one... CHIH!

I like Mexican

Yay! Got to eat Mexican food at Cafe Iguana.

So I met Pixie, Draco and Satellite there and they were already drinking Lime Margaritas and eating Tortilla chips with spicy chipotle salsa ($4.99) and guacamole(additional $1.99)! I like tortilla with guacamole. Nice to eat. Chipotle is a funny word. You say chi-POHT-ley, not chi-POH-tl (as in bottle).

Earlier on, they ordered and finished some Mini Chimichangas (Fried flour tortillas filled with Cheese and choice of Chicken or Beef), so I didn't get to eat any.


I ordered the Quesadillas with Cheese and Poblano Chillies filling ($6.99).


And the Flank Steak Fajitas ($18.99) - sliced steak, fried onions, roasted jalapeno and lime wedge on a hot plate, served with sour cream, chopped tomato salsa, guacamole, and a few sheets of tortilla for you to roll yourself.

The food was quite delicious to me because I guess I like Mexican flavours - nice, tangy, spicy flavours. And lots of different dips and condiments. Cafe Iguana also provides 2 bottles of Hot sauce - Cholula hot sauce which is red, and a green one which I don't know the name of. I liked them both.

The Lime Margarita jugs were a steal at $17.99 (Happy Hour price). But everytime I come here for margaritas, I can't drink a lot cuz of the taste and sweetness of the lime cordial. It's nice actually, but you can get abit tired of it after a while. They also have fruit magaritas (strawberry, mango) at the same price! But if you like your drinks strong, stick to the lime margaritas. I know cuz I used to sit at the bar.

Redemption for our palates at Nooch!

Because of that horrible meal we decided to give our palates a treat at Nooch over at Paragon ... the experience was so much more superb, except for the fact that the lights basically were shinning at my face which in turn made the whole expereince warm .....

Gosh ... no matter what seems like I always have something to complain about ... hahahahah

Food was great ....

We shared a yummy salmon sashimi salad, Satellite had Thai Beef Soupy Noodle thing, and I had the Thai Curry Noodle thingy ... don't really remember the name but it was all good ... no complaints on the food ... just the temperature of the restaurant and the 2 loud hongkies making like they know all the people in the busy body chinese magazines .... muahahahahahah

I'm not supposed to post this photo up ... muahahahahahahahahahahah

Anyway in a rush to get going to Cafe Iguana ... yay ... never really had drinks or food there.

warning do not go to pizza pazza at anchor point

Don't remember if it's called Pizza Pasta or Pasta Pizza ... well something like that ... it's horrible absolutely disgusting. Ok I've been told it is Pizza Pazza, corrected by Jian .... AIYO, SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ALREADY CAN'T EVEN SPELL PASTA CORRECTLY ......

1) The guy didn't know what the heck we were ordering / shall I actually say asking.
2) The pasta sucked ... I mean cabonara isn't supposed to taste like alfredo ... or is it?
3) The other pasta, some prawn pasta came with like 4 small lil tiny prawns in a tomato base sauce which was extremely bland ... or so I thought! You gotta ask Satellite though ....
4) The cesar salad was extremely pathetic .... a 5 year old child can make it .... regular iceberg looking lettuce, cheapo ham, and some unknown type of white dressing

Our conclusion, the Italian Chef either sold off his business to these folks for lots of money or he didn't make enough to survive.

Puuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I took like 2 bites outta everything ... and then had to go ikea for my $1.50 hotdog meal. We should've just stuck with the cheap ikea food!

Sapporo Ramen Miharu

Last night Sumdumful and I went to eat at Sapporo Ramen Miharu at Gallery Hotel. It is quite a small eatery and the seats were full inside, so we had to sit outside. It wasn't very pretty outside, quite ugly.

The menu consists of many types of Ramen (around 12 to 15 types), a couple of cold noodle dishes, a couple of rice dishes. We ordered 2 bowls of different miso ramen (can't remember their names) $12.50 each, and were disappointed that the ONLY appetizer on the menu was a plate of Chashu ($7)!! You can add additional or extra ingredients into your Ramen for $1, $2, $3 more depending on what you order, but we didn't bother.

The Chashu came first, in like 1 or 2 minutes. 4 slices of meat atop a bed of beansprouts, and there was some sauce on top. Not very memorable. And didn't seem worth its price.

Then our Ramen came. The ingredients in our ramen were the same. Both had 1 slice chashu, half egg, nori seaweed, corn, japanese leek, bamboo shoots, beansprouts. My miso soup was rich, thick and tasty, Sumdumful's miso soup was tastier, but even though I usually like my food stronger in taste and flavour, I found them both exceedingly salty! And the taste of the bamboo shoots was too strong.

Considering they're supposed to specialise in Ramen, it's quite disappointing actually.

So, I still think Netsuretsu Ichibantei at Robertson Quay is much nicer. In terms of taste (Ramen and other things too), variety (Much much better. So many things to eat you dunno what to order. Bento Sets, Curry, Gyoza, Ramen, etc...), and atmosphere (can dine cosily inside, go outside to drink sake and smoke by the riverside). Price is cheap too.

But don't tell too many people.