Waterfront Feast @ Riverside Point

This event was part of the "Let the Feast Begin" gastronomical experience made possible by omy.sg. You can read more about it here. Am lucky to be one of the participants for this fun-filled, laughter-induced and tummy-filling experience, so here's an account on the happenings of that day.

Our group of bloggers first convened at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. Expectations were high and images of chili crabs were conjured in my mind. Indeed, we were not disappointed. On our sampling menu, were two of their signature dishes; Jumbo Chili Crab (awarded The Best Chili Crab in Tiger Beer Chili Crab Championship Series 2006) and Salted Egg Golden Prawns (awarded Best Seafood Dish in Tasty Singapore Chef RAS Culinary Competition 2007).

Their amiable executive chef, Chef Ng Chong Guan made an appearance for us to explain a little on our dishes. Did you know the number of ingredients found in the sauce of chili crab? Thirteen, he told us. For me, there is no need to crack my skull thinking of what went into the ingredients, as Jumbo is also selling the chili crab paste so that you can recreate the taste from the comfort of your own home.

friendly Chef Ng and Ms Estelle Tan

What about the food? Here are the pictures.

salted egg golden prawns

chili crab

thick luscious sauce

fried 'mantou' or buns

The prawns were of a good size, and retained its outer crunchiness. Each prawns were evenly coated with thick layer of salted egg sauce. There wasn't much of a spiciness in here. Just pure salted egg goodness. Best to eat it while it's hot!

prerequisite prior to eating chili crab, a bib

The spicyness of the chili crab was certainly something that was distinguishable. One sip and it hits you. But almost as immediately, that heat dissipates and an overall sweetness envelopes the tongue. An agreeable taste, I would say. Fresh seafood is a must and the crab that I had, certainly was fresh as the flesh was meaty and firm. The fried mantous were so good! The mantou was kind of small (2-bite size) and it was slightly sweet to begin with. Dip it into the sauce for a heavenly pillowy spicy sweet combo.

After our mini sampling in the airconditioned enclave of the restaurant, we piled out for an outdoor photography shoot where there is better lighting.

outdoor seats by the river

Salted Egg Golden Prawns

Jumbo Chili Crab

Next stop, Cafe Iguana.

cafe iguana facade

Game for a sampling of tequila? Why not? We chorused. Hahaa! How about a margarita? YES! This was my first time at Cafe Iguana, and being a Mexican restaurant, one would expect fajitas and tequila shots. I know, what limited knowledge of Mexican food! We were met by Ms Erin Frey and she explained our food and drinks itenary for this stop. We were to try their featured margarita of June, which is Jose Cuervo Tradicional Margarita. And also to sample their "Red Snapper Enchiladas". According to Erin, this dish is not that well-known amongst diners but for regulars, it is one of the favourite item to order.

Jose Cuervo Tradicional (40% alcohol) - tequila reposados (aged in wood for 2-12 months)

What is tequila by the way? According to Wiki, it is a spirit made from blue agave plant and the spirit is so named tequila because it is grown in the city of Tequila. If you want to know what is a blue agave plant, click here.

The small sampling of tequila that I had, tasted smooth and very light in colour. Best if it was chilled.

margarita with salt-crusted rim

The margarita tasted lovely, on the rocks, sweet and the right amount of alcohol. The salt does give the drink an extra kick! After satisfying our thirst, it was time to refuel with food.

red snapper enchiladas (sampling size)

red snapper fillet

The red snapper enchiladas was likeable. Served warm and drizzled with tomatillo sauce and melted cheese.

tomato and onion bits

I had a blogger who does not take much fish, and she did partake in this dish. And that says a lot! The fish was well-cooked and tasted pretty much like chicken. I liked the tomato and raw onion bits that gave the dish that extra dimension in taste. This is a non-spicy dish. The tortilla was quite filling, and soon we were all stuffed.

actual serving size (the Mexican rice was nice too! Bursting with tomato taste)

Next up, Harry's Bar.

bar counter

We were seated at a cosy corner. So cosy that I forgot to take a picture. Ms Roza (Marketing Manager) was very personable and she sat with us to give some background information on Harry's Bar islandwide. Harry's has currently reinvented itself from being a jazzbar, a gastrobar and now, a sports bar. With so many outlets everywhere, it is easy to chill and relax at Harry's.

We were there to sample their fish and chips, so here are the pictures.

fish and chips (half size for sampling)

fish fillet

The fries were nicely crisp and only lightly salted. The fish was thinly coated with batter and fried till golden brown. Its meat was firm and it disintegrates nicely when popped into the mouth. Good to eat without any sauce too!

There is a saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". So when in Harry's, what else do we need to do? Get a drink, of course!

caipirinha

cider

peach bellini

Hey, not all are mine, ok... I had the caipirinha which I offered to everyone else (well, almost), and it received many thumbs up! The apple cider was Bryan's while the Peach Bellini was Irene's.

By this time, everyone was quite full but we shall not rest, till we are at the finishing line. Last stop, was at Brewerkz. As Brewerkz and Cafe Iguana are under the same group, we met up with Erin once more.

beer tasting session

gosh, how many glasses are we having?

We drank in the order of light to more intense. First up was Kolsch beer (Germany), which was light but still hoppity and bitter. Next up was the steam beer from California, which was medium bodied. And apparently, this beer used to be cheaper than soda! Gosh! Scholar Red sounds interesting. Made from black glutinous rice, and was drunk by scholars in China during the imperial examination period. Most full-bodied and bitter amongst the three, and with lingering smokey aftertaste.

kolsch

steam beer

scholar red

To accompany the beers, we had buffalo wings. They had categories of spiciness for the buffalo wings and they are called 'mild', 'hot' and 'suicide' in ascending order of heat. But frankly, the heat was just minor. Didn't even break a sweat.

buffalo wings

colourful beers: pilsner, oat-stout and dragon fruit beer (from left to right)

And that ends, our wonderful gastronomical journey for Waterfront Feast at Riverside Point. Below is a summary of the restaurants that we trawled:

1. Jumbo Seafood @ Riverside. Address: #01-01/02 Riverside Point, S058282.Website: www.jumboseafood.com.sg
2. Cafe Iguana. Address: #01-03 Riverside Point, S058282.Website: www.cafeiguana.com
3. Harry's Bar. Address: #01-04 Riverside Point, S058282. Website: www.harrys.com.sg
4. Brewerkz. Address: #01-05/06 Riverside Point, S058282. Website: www.brewerkz.com

And dear readers, here is a link (http://blog.omy.sg/let-the-feast-begin/promotions/) to a series of promotions that lasts till end of July 2011. Hurry!

Also special thanks to Alvin Lim for the invite, and the rest of the blogger gang on that day! Peeps, you were good fun!

Canton-I @ ION Orchard

Located at Level 3 of ION Orchard. This restaurant has a seemingly small entrance, but once inside, the space was quite adequate. At 730pm, the restaurant was bustling. As we had made prior reservations, we were led to our table fairly quickly.

Quite liked the overall decor and feel of the restaurant. It has a certain charm to it. The style and colour of the establishment may feel slightly feminine (think white, pink tones and flowery motifs etc).

restaurant interior

colourful linings on the wall

Tidbits in the form of peanuts (chargeable) was served upon being seated.

peanuts

menu

table setting

chinese motifs on the plates

Plain water here is chargeable @ $1, while Chinese tea may set you back by $4. Just take note so there won't be any surprises later on.

Wanted to try the char siew but it was sold out by then. So we opted for the 3-meat combo of duck, roasted pork and soya chicken. The 2-meat combo doesn't allow for roasted duck meat (not sure why, but that's what we were told), so had to order the 3-meat combo in order for us to try the roasted pork and duck together. We also ordered the poached spinach with 3-eggs, plain and intestine porridge, fried tofu with pork floss and for desserts, flowy custard buns.

alot of food

First to arrive was the meat platter.

roasted meat platter

jelly fish!

roasted pork with crispy skin

soya sauce chicken

roasted duck

 The roasted pork was good! Fat and lean meat ratio was just right, and with crispy crackling skin. Yums! Dip it into the mustard sauce plus sweet plum sauce, double yums! The roasted duck was nice too, with tender meat and slightly fatty skin. The soya sauce chicken has abit of bones intact, so had to eat it with care.

plain porridge

intestine porridge

 The porridge here has been grinded till smooth. My friend commented that the plain congee tasted milky. The intestine porridge has loads of ingredients such as meatball, intestine, liver and perhaps a slice or two of kidney?

vegetable

century egg, garlic, spinach and chicken egg

The spinach is slightly poached and hence, retained a little of its 'crunchiness'. This dish is our prerequisite vegetable quota for the day.

deep fried tofu with pork floss

silky soft tofu

The deep fried tofu with pork floss dish was quite addictive! The outerside is salty much like those 盐酥鸡, and the inner part still silky smooth. Nice.

And for the finale (or if you like, dessert), we had the flowy custard bun (流沙包). However, much to my surprise (a pleasant one, of course), it was purple in colour! Wooohoo!

purple flowy custard bun

One basket contained just 2 buns, so we ordered two baskets.

oozing with goodness!

Three ladies devoured all the food, and the total bill came up to about $33+ per pax. For now, there is a promotion for DBS credit card, where you get a return voucher of $10 valid for the next visit.

Freshness Burger @ The Central Clarke Quay

Located at The Central Level 1, accessible by outerside of the building at a corner near the bus stop. Visited this outlet on a weekday night. Actually wanted to eat ramen but Marutama was kinda packed, so went to Kusabi but was turned away at 855pm because the service staff said last order is at 9pm. Hmmm... maybe she doubted that I could order in less than 5 minutes or the kitchen people might have already packed up for the day? Not sure.

So there I was at Freshness Burger at 9pm. The shop was empty saved for a two or three occupied tables. I ordered salsa hamburger, chicken nuggets and a cranberry soda drink. From the menu, it looked like they do not have any set meals, hence everything is ala-carte mixed and matched. Currently, they have a promotion where you can get $2 off your meal if you order a burger, a side and a drink.

dinner

The regular burgers are quite expensive. Imagine paying $6.90 for a classic burger with cheese? The salsa burger that I ordered fell under the hamburger option and costs $3.50.

salsa burger

thin patty, loads of chopped onions and lettuce

Salsa burger was enjoyable, with its tangy tomatoes. The patty was thin though.

chicken nuggets

tender and hot~

The chicken nuggets were quite a good buy at $2.80 for about 6 pieces. Served piping hot. Yums. As for the drink, I would not recommend cranberry soda to anyone. It was way too sweet and tasted strange with the soda.

Total meal costs $7.80 (after $2 discount).

SoHo7 Cafe & Bistro @ 36 Armenian Street

Located at 36 Armenian Street, this place is very near the Peranakan Museum. That is, if you know where is the Peranakan Museum located in the first place. Somewhere near Fort Canning, Hill Street and SMU. For those who are driving, there is an open space carpark nearby.

It was raining cats and dogs on the day of visit. This place is small and cosy. Not too many tables and can get rather packed at midday. Even the kitchen looked compact.

coffee counter and kitchen view

As it was brunch time, my friend ordered the eggs benedict and I followed suit with a tassie eggs benedict. Basically both plates have spinach, some dou miao, two poached eggs, two small squares of bread, and half a baked tomato. The only difference is that default eggs benedict have ham slices while mine has the smoked salmon.

For drinks, I had an espresso macchiato and later on, a latte while my friend had tea. The espresso macchiato was foamy and not too bitter.

espresso macchiato

tassie egg benedict

egg benedict

Our orders arrived in good speed. Was certainly 'eggcited' to start eating!

looked at the beautiful poached egg

yummy yellow bread

smoked salmon

tomato drizzled with sauce

The poached egg ooozes with runny yolk, which we mopped up using the yummy bread squares. But the bread was a little too tiny, not enough!

perfectly runny yolk!

However, we could taste the vinegar on the poached eggs. Maybe more hollandaise sauce would be better or less vinegar when cooking the eggs?

For desserts, we had the fruity berry stacked pancakes. It arrived looking quite pretty!

fruity berry pancakes with maple syrup, chantilly cream and cinnamon sugar dusting

What's a Chantilly cream? Fancy sounding sweetened whipped cream apparently.

chantilly cream on the side

The berries were quite sour mostly, so we really needed all the syrup, cream and sugar dustings!

fluffy pancakes

maybe it was the rainy day, but I think the latte art in my cup looked like a teru teru bozu (てるてるぼうず)

Service was efficient and friendly, plus they do serve hot water here (and iced water too, if you like). The total bill came up to about $42 for 2 pax.

Sho Teppan @ ION Orchard

Located at B3 of ION Orchard, this place was not crowded during weekday lunch hour. There was a 1-for-1 main course promotion for AMEX, so we took advantage of that.

counter where staff cooked teppanyaki and/or made lemon tea

sauces for sukiyaki and teppanyaki

pictures of diners adorning this part of the wall

We were seated at the far end of the shop, and they gave us the booth seat. Nice. We had a view of the kitchen counter top. I think they were making lemon tea in that steel pot. Spied that they took out many many bags of tea from that pot before adding loads of sugar into it.

The main dishes here are either hotpot (sukiyaki/shabu shabu) and teppanyaki. For teppanyaki, you can opt to have the staff cook the meat for you or DIY. We ordered the wagyu beef shabu shabu and wagyu beef teppanyaki (DIY). That's the most extravagant main course at $21.90++. They have kurobuta pork, chicken, scallop and seafood as well with prices ranging from $15++ onwards.

Most of the sets come with rice and salad, while the teppanyaki will get a bowl of miso soup as well. The hotpot and teppanyaki are cooked via induction cooker at your tabletop.

hotpot

teppanyaki

The hotpot has the usual vegetables, golden mushroom, tofu, one shitake mushroom and negligible amount of japanese tang hoon. The teppanyaki has loads of onions and sliced shitake mushroom with julienned carrots.

salad

teppanyaki sauce, use the wooden ladle to move the meat around in the pan

The teppanyaki beef was slightly overcooked because the meat was still left in the pan after the heat was turned off.

wagyu teppanyaki

beef with onions and mushroom, on rice

The service staff forgot to bring the meat for the shabu shabu until we reminded them to do so.

wagyu beef, with not so much marbling

pick up a slice of meat, hold it using chopstick, then immerse it into the boiling soup while saying, "Shabu...shabu...." repeat about 3 times

The shabu shabu'ed meat was much more tender because I took it out just when it was about to turn from pink to cooked. However, the sukiyaki sauce was slightly too salty for my liking. Preferred the teppanyaki sauce plus the sesame sauce that came together with the shabu shabu set.

We paid $19 (inclusive of taxes and a drink) per pax.