Wild Oats @ Punggol Park

Located at Hougang Avenue 8, Punggol Park. My friends suggested this place, probably because it was opened by Chef Willin, one of Singapore's celebrity chefs. Hahaa, or rather, maybe I wanted to visit this place because of that! =P

We made reservations for the eve before National Day. Was late, but encountered no problems in pushing back the reservation time. Carpark space was scarce, so depends on your luck. Arrived at 8pm (original reservation time was 730pm), and there were many unoccupied tables.

main podium is first destination

The dining area seemed to be separated into 2 main areas. One that is near the water (where the podium is), and another that is its opposite side. The smoking area is not the one near the water and lush greenaries.

indoor

i was outside the glass door...

menu

The menu really really does have just a few items only... We ordered otah bruschetta, mushroom soup and chicken chop with garlic mayo sauce to share. For drinks, I had the 'Breeze in the Park'.

smoking area

dine by the waterfront

cutlery

order chits

It was pretty hard to get someone over to take our order. The service staff seemed to be quite focused on their task at hand...So, you just gotta wave harder...

mushroom soup

breeze in the park

otah bruschetta

Mushroom soup tasted quite healthy (maybe deemed as a little too bland for somebody). Not as thick as some other places but retained the nice wholesome flavour of mushroom. The cocktail tasted pretty diluted. Everyone on my table liked the otah bruschetta. Nicely spicy, goes well on toasted bread.

chicken chop with garlic mayo sauce

fries

The chicken chop (we chose garlic mayo sauce out of 3 options), was tender and juicy. The sauce was likeable but our breath probably smelled of garlic thereafter! Served with baked beans, chopped cabbage and shoestring fries. Overall, was quite yummy.

chendol

Chendol was sweet and refreshing on a warm night. The gula melaka was sticky and oh-so-yummy! Stir the whole thing till some of the ice melts, and it tasted even better. The red bean was neither too soft nor too hard. Just nice. Sweet, but not overly.

cranberry cooler (i think that was the name, not sure) non-alcoholic

finished the food, and the drinks and one of our friend was still not here yet...

mango margarita

Conclusion, the cocktails that I tried that night, all tasted pretty weak... Food was alright, but limited selection. We liked otah bruschetta and chendol.

The total bill was about $80+, and my share was $30 for 2 alcholic drinks, the food and desserts. Should have ordered the chicken wings.. because I was hungry again when I got home after that.

Hong Kong Street @ Novena

Been to this place a few times. Sometimes for lunch, sometimes for dinner. But almost with some certainty, there are just that few dishes that we ordered, over and over again. And, this place was always busy and bustling with diners.

signboard

utensils and chillies (not very spicy)

a glass of cold barley while waiting for the food

As usual, we ordered a large 'san lao he fen' or 'sam lou hor fun', 'har jiong gai' or prawn paste chicken and a fried fish noodle soup (small).

san lao he fen

closer view

San Lao He Fen, a pale white looking dish consisting of 'hor fun' (flat kway teow noodles), lots of beansprouts, and fish slices (non-fried) that doesn't score any points in the looks department, but tasted yummy! It has a good dose of 'wok-hei' (that smokey charred smell/taste of the strong wok fire). Unfortunately, the fish slices does taste quite bland.

'har jiong gai' (prawn paste chicken)

deep fried goodness

Prawn paste chicken doesn't taste very strong, served piping hot with crispy skin but inside was still moist, tender and juicy. Not overly salted, so can be eaten on its own. Smear it with some of the sambal chili and it's addictive.

In my haste to devour the food (was hungry!), realised that I didn't take any pictures of the fish bee-hoon soup. That dish is a favourite of another friend. It has milky soup base, with ginger and vegetables in it. The fried fish was chunky and meaty. Comfort food.

This meal fed 3 girls and 1 guy comfortably. Total cost was about $13 per pax.

Sashimi House SAKURAYA @ Anchorpoint, Alexandra Road

Went on a weekday during lunch hour. Did not make any reservations, hence we were asked if we mind the counter seats. Nope. Not at all. The counter top/table surface/width was quite spacious. There is a daily set lunch that changes everyday and there is also a ladies lunch set (~@18++).

counter seats table setting

We ordered a Bara Chirashi and a salmon butter set and the food took some 15 minutes to arrive. Prior to that, the lady beside us who came much earlier than me, was asking the waitress the whereabouts of her lunch!

salmon butter set

tasty salmon butter

Tried my friend's salmon butter and the fish was nicely moist. Good choice! The salmon butter set was the cheaper one amongst our two lunches.

bara chirashi

My chirashi came in a nice lacquer bowl. So pretty.

full of goodness!

closer view

Plenty of fish in my bowl. There were the usual maguro, sake, white fish, tamago, cucumber and crabstick. The rice was nicely vinegared. First bite, the tangy sourness crept onto the tastebud and after chewing the rice, gradually it tasted of sweetness. The fish were fresh but don't really fancy the crabstick though.

seaweed layered ontop of the rice

The meal costs about $33 for two pax, and no charge for green tea.