Herbivore By Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant @ Fortune Center

This place was recommended by my colleague whom is a vegetarian. Prior to this, I'd usually think of Elemen, if we are looking for a vegetarian restaurant.

The restaurant is inside Fortune Center, and pretty easy to find. The shop was smaller in size than anticipated.

restaurant entrance

almost all tables have a 'Reserved' tag

We were dining on a Saturday evening, and hence reservation is a must. The place was bustling! Trays after trays of food were being sent out from the kitchen and looks like bento was commonly ordered amongst the diners.

order pad

Although we weren't inform of the time limitation when making reservation, there was a small signage inside the restaurant that indicated so. If I remembered correctly, each table was limited to a 75 minutes dining during peak hours.

Ordering was easy via the order pad placed on each table. I ordered a drink and will eat whatever that my colleagues had ordered prior to my arrival (sorry, I was the last to arrive!).

my drink

Tonkatsu bento @$22

Teriyaki Chicken bento @$22

The bento seemed to have the same side dishes and dessert, hence the only difference was in its 'main'. From the bento sets, I prefer the tonkatsu more than the teriyaki chicken. Reason being, there was some herb taste with the teriyaki chicken and I didn't like that.

Other than that, the nicest side dish was the donut looking thingy that tasted almost like a 'squid' ring, Pretty yums.

fried rings (at the back) was yummy

The fresh springroll was rather healthy tasting. Loved that there's a small side dish of salad as well.

fresh and healthy tasting

small salad of lettuce, turnips, radish and cherry tomatoes

The sauce/dressing seemed to be soy/sesame predominantly. There was one small side dish that consisted of beancurd skin and that came with spicy sauce.

hot pot

Not sure which hotpot my colleagues ordered as it looked like the tofu and yasai hotpot, but it came with 'pork belly' and that was an eye opener. Really tasty and the texture was almost similar to the 'real' thing. It amuses me every time! 

However, the most recommended item were the unagi maki and the mushroom cheese.

mushroom cheese

First impression of the mushroom cheese? Wow, it was really a flavour burst! And, by far the most salty amongst the rest of the items that I had tried that night.

Unagi Maki @$14

I liked the unagi maki the best! Balanced flavours and best tasting. Lovely!

closer view of the maki

We spent about $35 per pax for a meal here.

Herbivore

Address: 190 Middle Rd, #01-13/14 Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979

Website: https://www.herbivore.sg/

Contact: +65 6333 1612

Business Hours: 

Daily: 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM

[Johor] Sunroast 宏達燒臘 @ Yong Peng

This was my first trip home after Covid and am blessed to be accompanied by my travel buddies; Ivan, Hence, Tracy and Shermaine. Was lunch time, and we were in Yong Peng, so headed to this place after a quick search online on what's available to eat.

The shop was pretty spacious and reminded me of Taiwan, somehow.

shop interior

I asked the staff on what is her recommendation and she gave me a bored look and said we should just order what we like. Ok...

Nevertheless, we ordered the three meats platter, consisting of roast duck, roast pork and char siew. For greens, we ordered the winged beans (四季豆) but was later informed that it was out of stock, so we got the ubiquitous Chinese cabbage (小白菜). For carbs, we got the oil rice (油饭) while Hence chose the noodles. Plus a bowl of seaweed fishballs soup.

The utensils are on the table, together with the sauce. Food was served pretty quickly too.

The 3 meats platter was RM38.80 but was served separately for the duck and the pork.

roast duck

roast pork and char siew

bok choy @RM8.50

fishball soup @RM10

dry noodles @RM4

The noodles fared better than the rice, as it was tossed in light soy sauce with sesame oil fragrance. But of course, a small plate of rice was only RM1.

I liked all the roasted meat. Quite nicely done and not overly seasoned. Duck was pretty tender too!

kopi (small) @RM2

After we left the place, and later that night, it was discovered that the winged beans (RM10) was included in the bill although we didn't get that plate. So do check your bill when you pay.

We spent RM20 per pax for lunch.

Sunroast 宏達燒臘

Address: No 2,Bt 1/4,Jalan Air hitam 83700 Yong Peng, Johor, Malaysia

Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063470441391

St. Regis Afternoon Tea @ Brasserie Les Saveurs

Was staying at St. Regis so decided to book the Afternoon Tea at Brasserie Les Saveurs. The price per adult during weekends is $59++ or $52++ during weekdays. Inclusive of one beverage. Top up options are available to change it to floral, sparkling tea or alcoholic drink.

entrance to Brasserie Les Saveurs

high ceiling

Was ushered to the table soonest possible when staff is available attend to guests. We placed our order for the tea and of course, I had to get the St. Regis blend. The tea was nice and amiable. Floral fragrance but not too overpowering.

St. Regis Afternoon Tea

plenty of sweets

I'd like to start with the scones first, lest it turned cold and harden. Two types of scone were brought out; St. Regis scone (which looked like plain scones) and the raisin scone. Not sure why but only one portion of lemon curd, marmalade jam and clotted cream were brought out. Am guessing that it was meant to be shared?

basket of plain and raisin scones (for 2 pax)

lemon curd, strawberry jam and clotted cream

slathered with jam and cream

The scones were alright when eaten warm. The lemon curd and jam were not too sweet.

Kris didn't like her tea after taking a sip and enquired from the staff if this could be changed. The friendly staff immediately acceded to her request without much question. Such stellar service. Lovely.

Besides the 3-tiered cage, there was a separate plate for the savouries.

savoury plate

salmon sandwich with walnuts

brioche

The brioche looked better than it tasted as the bread had hardened by the time we ate it.

sweets

raspberry

rose macaron

For the sweets, my favourites were the macaron and the round raspberry ball. The swiss roll cake was nice too but it was wet to touch, so that was weird. I hope the moisture was from the fresh strawberry...

Just when we thought we were done, there were two more items served to us; quiche and panna cotta. I definitely didn't expect it, so was pleasantly surprised. That's the problem when one doesn't check-out the menu beforehand.

quiche

served hot

The quiche was nicely hot and very eggy/milky. By now, I was feeling rather full. Am amused that the last 2 items were a contrast of hot and cold.

panna cotta

Unfortunately, took one bite of what appeared to be the cherry panna cotta, and both Kris and myself looked at each other. Then we put our teaspoons down. 

The reason why I didn't like it, was the texture of the panna cotta was too dense. Not sure if it was a time off thing or it was meant to be like this.

Overall, the place was nice to have a gathering or a tete-a-tete with your gal friends. Service was good and staff were all rather friendly. Didn't have to wait long for the items to arrive.

Will I go back for Afternoon Tea? Unlikely.

Brasserie Les Saveurs

Address: 29 Tanglin Road, Lobby Level, The St. Regis, 247911

Menu: https://marriottbonvoyasia.com/restaurants-bars/the-st-regis-singapore-brasserie-les-saveurs

正宗阿源面薄 – Original Guan's Mee Pok @ Capitol Singapore

It was late in the evening and we wanted to have a nice dinner, preferably something hot. As with any other Saturdays, restaurants are super busy during dinner time. Guan's Mee Pok at Capitol has indoor and 'outdoor' seats with the 'outdoor' version means the tables are located outside of the shop. Hmm, indoor seats please~

Order from the cashier and collect it when it is ready. Self-service style. Kris said she wanted the signature bowl but when I went to the counter to order, the lady informed me that there are two signatures. Hmm, so I bought both since not sure which one Kris wanted. Added a bowl of cuttlefish balls soup, for the vegetables.

dinner for two

Sesame Crispy Prawn Paste Mee Pok @$11

Guan's Mee Pok @$6.80

al-dente noodles

Took the default seasoning for the noodles which is with chili and it turned out to be quite spicy! The spice level is about 2 out of 5 for me. I think this outlet puts in more oil than the previous one that I had some years ago.

cuttlefish balls in boiled watercress soup @$6

Wash it down with a hearty bowl of watercress soup. The cuttlefish balls were rather normal but overall, just good to have alongside the noodles. 

But, it sure fill us up pretty fast. So full after having the noodles and the soup. The noodles actually looked small, but enough for someone who is not a big eater.

Saw many who ordered the herbal chicken, so probably that's a good option if you're dining with your family and wanted something different other than those normally served at a noodles shop.

For me, the draw of Guan's Mee Pok is the texture of the noodles, the adequate ingredients in the original bowl and its hanjuku egg,

 正宗阿源面薄 – Original Guan's Mee Pok 

Address:  13 Stamford Rd, B1-55 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905

Website: https://guanmeepok.com/

Business Hours:

Daily  9:30am–9pm

So France Claymore @ 1 Claymore Drive

We had a hard time finding this outlet. Pretty hidden and you probably won't notice it from the main roads. Staff was pretty nice and tried their best to guide us to the place over the phone when we called up to ask for more detailed directions.

So France Claymore

entrance

One could also stock up on imported goodies such as cheeses, wines, condiments within the shop when dining here. As we had a reservation, we were led to our table pretty quickly.

lovely interior

table setting

let's have brunch!

drinks menu

Decided to do a light brunch as perhaps only two of us were super hungry while the other half were okay. Decided on baked camembert cheese, a savoury crepe and another sweet crepe to complete the meal.

The manager is a humorous guy and he was advising us on the sequence that we should be enjoying our orders. We learnt that we shouldn't be eating the camembert with a savoury/sweet crepe or something along the line. Hahaa, okay we will enjoy it one after the other then!

bread basket and butter (complimentary)

After our orders were taken, the bread basket was served. The butter serving was not enough for the four of us and thus, we shyly asked if we could have some more. The staff had no qualms on such request and immediately brought out 2 more portions of the butter. Thank you for your generosity!

yummy

How about a glass of wine for a mid-day tipple? Why not?

Bordeaux M de Monsegur 2016 @$14

Baked Camembert @$20 (half)

We were actually surprised when we dig into the baked camembert. Was it supposed to be that watery? Hmm. More liquid than what we used to have in other places where it was only lightly baked till soft and with a drizzle of honey. Here, it is just the pure taste of a liquid camembert (savoury, creamy) after the top layer was broken off.

liquid gold

Served with crispy toast but I preferred it with the baguette as the bread could soak up more of the cheese!

La Montagnarde @$22

bacon, Raclette cheese, caramelised onions

The savoury crepe was good. Love the accompanying salad at the side. Felt like a balanced meal.

Ended the meal with a sweet crepe but my friends were disappointed. The crepe seemed to be undercooked and more doughy in texture. For me, am not sure if it was supposed to be of this texture but I could still eat it. Just felt it was a tad underwhelming as it seemed to be prepared rather simply; banana slices, crepe and lots of chocolate sauce.

La Banane - Choc @$12

All in all, the staff are friendly and efficient here. This place has good relaxing vibes to it. 

Thank you Tiara, Kris and Shermaine for the treat!

So France

Address: 1 Claymore Drive #01-01. Orchard Tower Apartments, Singapore 229594

Website: https://www.so-france.sg/

Contact: +65 6980 7768

Business Hours: 

Daily: 8AM–10PM