Siglap loves

another siglap find.

werner's oven located at a rather deep location, amidst the other busy places. smacked right beside NTUC and some coffeeshop, werner's oven is not jus another eatery. the ambience of the place itself is quite ATAS. stepping into the shop you'll see some logos mounted, showing the specialties for the day, this is a rather typical way to attract customers i should say. and the beer logos shows that the place serves various imported beer. there are also some vintage pictures on the wall showing the boss and lady boss's photos. they used to be at Simpang Bedok in 1980s i think, and the boss is a real ang moh, i think most prob a German.

We order 2 main course, one of them being the all-time-favourite. Farmer's sausage. $21.50
served with soured cabbage and potato salad.

sausage was firm and juicy, not burnt. it was pipping hot when served.
the cabbages (German name: Sauerkraut) on the side isn't any simple preserved veg. its actually tradition soured cabbage that germans eat. The cabbages are fermented as it was believed that this can enhance the nutritional value of the cabbages.
Even thou this is suppose to be a healthy food, it wasn't to my liking as normally only spoilt vegetables taste sour. Not to offend anyone, but this jus isn't the ordinary vegetables we eat everyday. Perhaps for those who appreciate fermented vegetables, this will be perfect.

the pork sausage itself was spice loaded. With garlic, Parsley, and some chilli. the taste is very flavourful in each and every mouth. i don suggest biting it straight as it doesn't look very pleasant. the outer layers of the sausage is quite chewy but not at all difficult to swallow.

potato + Sauerkraut + sausage = Happy face

Boy's order was (German name: Grünkohl mit Rauchwurst und Kasslersmoked) sausage & smoked pork loin served with green kale & sauteed potatoes. $23.50 i should say this is a better choice than mine. the sides that comes along is stir fried potato and bacon together with "MEI CAI" (grren kale) you must be thinking why mei cai right. but ya, it is mei cai. perhaps germans do like some fermented veggies afterall. but something to note will be the delicious potato. fragrant and well blended with the bacon to give you many different textures.

Juicy sausage

Pork loin was rather dry but tasted good. boy came up w the idea that we should cut it into smaller pieces so that its easy to bite. this piece of loin came with some fat trimmings at the side which gave a good balance to the meat in adding some moisture. i like meat with some fats, its not as delicious if it was too lean. eating meat is not chewing gum.

Last but the best, this is apple spritzer. another version of zapple + sparkling juice. special as its an interesting flavour. and slightly sour to take away the meaty smell that lingers in your mouth.

Auntie note: its quite an expensive place, they do serve plain water if you are on a tighter budget. food wise 1 main is each filling enough

Werner's Oven

6 Upper East Coast Road #01-01/02/03 Singapore 455220

6442 3897

Chako restaurant visited by Mr. President

Incidental free dinner

this is the most expensive jap dinner i ever had.
the place located at the ulu part in the west is a famous yet nobody knows place.
upon reaching the car park, this place thats not decorated eleborately is hard to find. have to explore a bit before noticing.
the interior of the place transports you back to japan, but 1960s japan.
with wooden sliding doors and wooden tables and chair tat seems like it has been ard for quite some time.

i chose this place becos, Mr Nathan (Singapore's president) patronises this restaurant

this place operates in a special way. the lady boss of the restaurant is a japanese and she is the only cook in the kitchen. this is a way to ensure that wad u put in your mouth is authentic japanese food. the daughter is her kitchen helper while the husband who can speak singapore english is responsible for taking reservations and serving some drinks.
dinner time last from 8 to abt 10. i had ordered my food before hand as the menu was emailed to me when i make a reservation.
explanation: lady boss prepares everything from scratch only when u reach, no terriyaki sauce, no pre prepared, pre fried stuff. wad ever u eat is hand made food from the heart.

this explains the price. :)
for $20 you get 4 tempura prawns. so make sure u let them know before hand if u have 5 or 6 guest with u.
the batter used was well seasoned, not tasteless.
the sauce accompanied was served hot and wad is most special is they actually added seaweeds to heighten the taste. look at the comparison with my finger is so omfg huge.


this was one of the orders we had later on as the boys were so super hungry while waiting so they kept ordering. hahaha. only to realise they are so full after their own main.
this is omu rice. eggs were flowy on the inside, wrapping the rice that was flavourful. the orange thing on the side is potato and onion being mashed up together, its as delicious. side salad was generous as well.


OMU RICE $16.00
Tomato fried rice with chicken, mushroom and onions wrapped in egg
Set: Served with cold beancurd, salad, sweet pickled radish & miso soup.
this was boy's order.
SHIROMI SAKANA HAMBURG $19
fish meat patty with spagetti. i'm sorry for the half eaten food picture.
but anyway, the spag was slightly spicy and the fish patty had a peppery taste. i personally like pepper a lot so i somehow love the fish. the taste of the fresh swimmer was still evident even though it was already beyond recognition. the egg by the side makes it a well balanced meal.

this is breaded prawn, the other version of prawns that is commonly served in japanese restaurant. the same large prawns used for this, same price also. however the main big difference was the whitish sauce. if i am not wrong it should contain: tar tar, mayonaise, onions, pepper, potato. this is jus speaking from exp. the prawns are juicy, succulent, and the coating is super crispy. not the kind tat scratches ur mouth when u bite on.

this is platter for miss tong. its a combo for white fish.

SHIROMI SAKANA FRY $16

Bread-crumbed deep-fried fillet of cuts of white fish served with salad
Set: Served with cold beancurd, vinaigrette, pickled radish, rice & miso soup

yummy yums yums.

this is chako set $19.90

the set is very feng fu. got grilled mackeral, salad, agashi tofu, pickled veg, and a seasoned veg, plus a piece of chicken plus 2 calamari with rice and miso soup. value for money right? the veg also actually some japanese seaweed, with long beans and lotus roots and sesame. the miso soup has got clams in it, posh right... plus the mackeral is double sided, not dry at all, and the skin was crispy. the lump beside the salad is potato and onion.... everything was well done, nothing overly seasoned and the food had the original taste.

a close up look of my yummy chicken and calamari.

auntie note: this place is expensive with no doubt. the wait was very long. be prepared to wait for 1 hour even when u already ordered before hand.

134, WEST COAST WAY
HONG LEONG GARDEN SHOPPING CENTRE
TEL: 6776 3919/6776 4613

RESTAURANT CHAKO IS OPEN DAILY FOR DINNER (6 TO 10.30PM)
LUNCH IS OPEN DAILY EXCEPT WEEKENDS & PUBLIC HOLIDAYS (12
TO 2.30 PM)

15 minutes

for the sake of my 7 years friendship, this post is a very recent post and has definitely surpassed many of my old old post that was supposed to be up by now. the key word will be "supposed to". dinner w the girls was fun, and meet up with xingying was really a rare occasion thing. i haven seen her since the day we collected our results from tpjc years back. now we all lead our own lives but the bday of miss yy brought us back together to enjoy a simple meal that was superbly satisfying. i dare to say this is one of the best places that ppl hardly know as it is found in a place that is out of place.

The LASALLE College of the Arts situated in the heart of bugis has got its own operating restaurant in support for the performance of arts. how can this link be forged? food and performing arts? yes, the restaurant named 15 minutes, allows performers to take the limelight by providing a platform and location for them to stage their performance. even though 15 minutes might be a bit short, but it isnt the duration that matters the most but the chance to perform being the most valuable lesson learnt.

back to food now.
first up: AVOCADO CHICKEN PASTA $9.90
slightly creamy but i din manage to taste avocado. chicken pieces weren't a lot. but this is truely an addictive cream based pasta. there was some spices added to the pasta and this authentic italian taste manage to captivate me and it was not at all gelard. perhaps sharing do help as u won be eating the same taste throughout the meal.


next up: Oriental duck pizza $11.90
pizza with duck meat is truely a rare find in singapore as duck meat is not a widely consumed poultry as compared to chicken. the innovative use of duck meat strike us as it was also the chef's recommendation. as good as it is, this pizza is good but not amazing. the sauce that was used isnt the usual pizza sauce(tomato base) but the kind we have at chinese restaurant that is served w the peking duck. creative dish. those yellow coloured stuff is actually eggs!!!!! its the oozing kind for ur information (i can alr hear some stomach growling) however, it was slightly on the dry side and this was one of the killer for any pizza. however, the pizza was loaded w so much toppings it saved it from any further bad critiques.



Seafood Pizza $14.90
the same thin crust pizza was used and this is also a thumbs up for 15 minutes. i love thin crust pizza. the veg that served as the "decoration" tasted bitter. i have no idea why should it be added. the pizza was good too, with loads of prawns and sotong. the fresh oceanic aroma was floating to my nose when it was served. well done.

some sides to share: this is 9 fried chicken $6.90

common sense will tell u that this dish containes 9 pieces of chicken, but who would have thought of such a name. but even so, i will say this is well named as it does not have any intention of cheating its customers. imagine this dish being called fried marinades or wings platter, i bet ppl wont expect this coming. even thou it was simple, wings were juicy, easy to get off from the bones, weren't under or over cooked, and not salt filled.

One missing picture as i don know wad happened to blogspot. :(

another pasta to share: smoked salmon pesto $13.90

smoked salmon one of my fav accompanied by the rich and creamy sauce. however, this had a less refreshing taste and easy to grow sick of the taste. slices of salmon can have some more? that will make customers more pleased definitely.

last but not least, wishing the pretty girl happy 21st. i'm still on time.

auntie note: there is happy hour, so if u are ready for some drinks do come before 9pm. plus, sometimes there might be some events or crowd esp on weekends, so pls do call before coming. water is for free, drink like a fish.

walk from bugis stn towards simlim and you'll see laselle college.

1 McNally Street
restaurant is closed on sundays :(

Etna

True enough, the whole stretch of katong and siglap has been combed by me. i may not have posted all the reviews yet though. and yes, pls do not fret if you are not an east sider. i do visit the west side once in a while. i have so many so many visits to upload and its getting on my nerves.

if you love crabs, pasta, and pizza, live in the east, and don mind spend a little bit more for authentic italian food, the post is dedicated to you.

with plenty crab meat (most importantly de-shelled) served with linguine, piping hot.
the sauce is thick but not at alll creamy, every mouth you taste the fresh crab meat melt in your mouth and blends well with the sauce. you can see some chunks of tomatoes in the sauce and this adds to the texture of the pasta. it may be hard to locate the crab meat jus by looking at this pic thou. sorry for poor lightings because the restaurant is not very brightly lited as well.
thin crust pizza never fails to make me salivate. haha. somehow this angmoh version of poh piah or roti prata manage to make so many asians fall in love with it. anyway i did a little research on this special pizza. look at the picture and you will realise that there some pink coloured meat on the pizza that looks like raw. yes they are raw. this is named Carpaccio. its actually raw meat that is commonly consumed as appetiser but is now used in many more dishes. the raw meat taste like smoked salmon. tats the nearest taste i can think of. it is also the main source of taste to this pizza. the slightly salty meat (i presumed it mus be a bit preserved so that it won rot) and the pizza crust works well. however, boy said that the pizza is kind of dry (perhaps not enough sauce).

this is a puzzling dish tat came along w some bread before the dishes were served. i have no idea wad is was. the green coloured ones are olives, the white coloured ones i tot is cheese but i try and its like v smelly. the red coloured ones i dare not touch. look like very spicy. so anyone who can enlighten me please leave a comment. i tried to google to no avail.

this is super duper expensive drink. the two drinks are like normal coffeeshop cup size. but they cost $7 each. its actually some flavoured soda. its perhaps almost impossible to get these drinks from supermarket i personally feel that its kind of overpriced. i ordered thinking it will be quite a big bottle.

Auntie note: rmb to ask for any credit card discounts. the food serving is quite big so please don order for an army.

Etna (located beside dog and bone cafe)
110 Upper East Coast Road
Tel: +65 6444 9530

manpuku

this local japanese craze about the food street concept has managed to bring in many new restaurants like shokudo, manpuku, and some others. but if you have noticed, the attraction slowly died down after a while as the standard and quality of food did not meet the expectations for many. i personally like japanese food and feel that the exquisite and delicate hands of a japanese chef must be able to deliver food with the right kind of cultivation. japanese food is filled w culture and pride and should not be done "anyhow" nor can it be tranformed into a fast food chain.

i visited this outlet at tamp 1 quite a few times. but its normally jus for a normal lunch outing, nv did i ever craved for manpuku. the food served was not japanese to be. but rather a quick fix for a hungry stomach. the food is not authentic and mostly quite heavily seasoned.

this is the famous Okonomiyaki (which means pancake) with its main ingredients of flour and cabbage. we order the prawn Okonomiyaki but was served quite pathetically with abt 7 prawns that was tiny. even though the prawns had the Q-ness, it gave me the impression that is was purchased de-shelled from super markets. it was rather tasteless and every mouth had to be accompanied by the sauce. the waiting time was also long. the chef told us to return after 10 minutes. wad saved the dish was the sauce. the brown and white is the takoyaki sauce and mayo respectively. its the exact sauce used in takopachi.

butter hotate. this is truely buttery. however, one big mistake made by the chef was to use salted butter. it made the hotate over salty. plus, wad kind of presentation is this???????? it truely makes me ponder if they simply added wadever is from kitchen. hotate with loads of onions and black fungus? wad a combi. wad saved the dish was the considerable size of the hotate.

this is the breaded prawn and omu rice set.

the prawn was already pre-fried and placed aside. so when i order they simply took it out from the warmer. uber disappointing. the prawn size was ok. abt the length of my index finger. the rice was soft and moist. egg was thick and covered the rice nicely. salad was served with vinegarette. wad spoilt the dish was the tomato sauce over the omu. it tasted like as thou it was diluted w water......

even though the dish had its own shortcomings, it was considered the best order for the day.

auntie note: drinks here are exp, so finish ur meal fast and move on to tea dot for their fabulous tea creations. loving it. when i visited manpuku, they were having a $6.50 promotion and abt 50% of all the dishes were priced at 6.50. not a very good deal as i feel a japanese stall in a food court would have done better at an even lower price.

thai pan

a hidden find that was introduced by one of my sec mates long long ago and i recently went to dig up this hidden gem again. Thai pan has 2 branches one at changi V the other was more secludedly hidden in a condo along parkway area in mandarin gardens.
i visited both the branches and felt that both manage to serve food of similar standards and will definitely be one of the places frequently patronized by me. it was only me and boy so we had a simple meal with some of the chef's recommendations and our fav tom yam soup.

first up will be their chef's special jing du pai gu. 京都排骨. the pork rib do have some bones and tendons which is less desireable, however the serving was considered huge for a "small" size. the sesame added was also part of the chef's extra effort that is commendable. i like the dish for the sweetness of the meat. boy says the meat was a little hard for his liking thou.
this is the best olive rice i've had. it was the first time i've eaten olive rice at thai pan (changi V branch) and it is truely addictive. the minced meat sauce was well marinated, juicy and the meat minced to the right size such that it can blend in with the rice without telling the difference. rice was fried to the right moisture level, not too oily but 粒粒分明 the cashew nuts and chilli added colour to the dish and the onions were good for digestion. something noticeable was the green mango that was by the side. i suppose it is quite difficult to purchase green mangoes in singapore, perhaps they had to direct import or get from shops in golden mile. nevertheless i love it. and is still finding khakis to enjoy it w me.

this is brocolli w crab meat. it was one of the recommended dishes. however, the amount of crab meat was too little to let even notice its existence. even thou it was barely noticeable, the taste of the crab was still "valid", the fresh crabby taste manage to seep into the spaces of the brocolli "leaves" and boosted the simple veg to the next level. brocolli was not too hard not too soft, the sauce tasted slightly starchy thou.

next up is the all time fav tom yam soup. the soup had lots of liao. button mushrooms, baby corn, carrots, and prawn, and sotong. but it missed the benchmark as it was too mild. imagine drinking non spicy tom yam? so resorted to adding the chilli padi from the olive rice into the soup to suit our taste buds.

auntie note: the branch at mandarin garden has got free parking as opposed to the one at changi V (car park always full) thus, if unable to make a choice this will be the well deciding factor.

changi V: 2 Netheravon Road Civil Service Club Changi Clubhouse

mandarin garden: 13 Siglap Road Mandarin Gardens

Tonkichi

Chicken Karage....
this looks like any other fried chicken yet its the legendary tonkichi.
i believe every restaurant big and small will have its own signature dish, then i question, is it then fair to review on everything? or should we jus focus on the chef's rec or should we also try to include the rest? what makes a good judgement then?
given the senario:
restaurant A:
5* chef's specials
3* side dishes
1* appetizer

restaurant B:
4* chef's special
4* side dishes
5* appetizer

which one will you place your bets on?

but anyway chicken karage was normal. slightly dry and nth impressive
tonkichi now offers sets that comes w ramen as well. good for those who dislike eating rice or maybe craves for hot soup on raining days. i chose cha shu ramen. at first sight, chashu looked appetizing with even amount of fats and meat. slightly brown means it has been well simmered. tenderly soft and thinly sliced. first thing to do with ramen is to taste the thick broth. thats wad everyone does right? well tat was a mistake for me. the broth tasted horrible. too much of a pork taste. it was like slightly pungent. jus like eating pork tat was cooked without defrosting. ppl who cook will understand this. it makes a lot whole of a difference. plus. i doubt the chef made an effort to clear the pork off the blood and impurities by running it with boiling water. i continued eating abt half a bowl of it and couldn't stand it. boy simply took a few mouths and declared full surrender.

a summary for all the fried fried stuff is definitely EXCELLENT!!!!! bread crumbs were crispy, juice flowing out of the meat once u bite on it. wad was good is that the temperature of the food was still hot. (becos i totally despice restaurants serving fried food that was pre fried). and look at the thickness of the pork that was served. even though it was thick there wasn't any problems chewing it at all. not tough and not dry.

notice the salad veg that is beside the meat? normally ppl leave it untouched right? let me warn you not to forget the salad as it is amazing!!!!! why???? if not for boy i wouldn't know that its actually refillable and you are suppose to eat it with the salad dressing placed on every table. i don have a picture of the dressing thou. but it was refreshing. the dressing i presume contains vinegar, sesame oil and perhaps mirin. it was so good i guess i refilled it 3 times? the veg also made sure that u wont get sick of all the fried stuff. plus, well balanced meals are impt right.....

this was boy's set, it was very feng fu and had boy's fav prawns. loving it. his came w rice. so nice hor.....

this was my set. overall it was still value for money. this set cost less than $25 if i am not wrong.

auntie note: free veg, better eat a lot a lot..... hehehe. value for money as serving size is super the huge.

Tonkichi

i visited the one at TAKA.

new branch located at tamp mall. for the east siders.

to get ur stomach full you will need: $25 per person

timbre mobile

hangout. chill. lepak. slack. this is the best place.
visited timbre mobile to get away from the usual crowd of timbre.
the furniture look kind of woody, i think mostly made from cheap chipboards, felt a bit uncomfortable after sitting down for long. i guess the height of the chairs were too low, even the waiters had to kneel in order to take our orders.
the band of the day was fine, was kept entertained even though i felt that their breaks in between could have been shorter. i mean as compared to other live band bars, timbre can do better.

alright, getting on to the food. buffalo wings. must try.
the wings here are less well marinated i should say. but it was still tender enough for me to use fork and knife to get this into my mouth. peanuts were added for the extra oomph but i personally preferred without.
if you wan to use ur fingers, it will be finger licking too. slightly spicy and even after u wipe it off with tissue ur fingers still feel sticky. honey? perhaps. tht explains the tinge of sweetness it in. jus like an add on version of honey wings with extra spices.

wad's timbre without pizzas? perfect. if i am not wrong this is cajun chicken something.
the pizza was served pipping hot, with thick layer of cheese, thin and crispy crust.
its not cut up in the tradition pizza size but in squares. approx 15 pieces? because the crust is overly thin to take the weight of all the ingredients if it was cut up the traditional way. the cajun chicken was not dry like normal breast meat, flavour filled and full of exciting flavours. i guess some italian herbs were the culprit.

Drinks for chilling. this is Milo peng. looks kind of diluted cos i took the photograph after drinking half of it. hehe. the drink had milo taste. but kind of disappointed as it does not taste creamy. the milo was like milo kosong. the taste of liquor was jus nice, not overpowering. a good choice i should say.

this was my proud order. grandma's remedy. this was a perfect concoction of chrysathemum and vodka with a tinge of lemon. the flowery taste infused seamlessly with the lemon and experienced a boost with the vodka. after taste was not the awful alcohol bad smelling breath. you can even zoom past the traffic police by saying you jus had flower tea. haha. although it was stated on the menu that it was subjected to availability, try your luck because this is A MUST HAVE!!!!

auntie note: drinks aren't exactly cheap ard here. so get here on time during the happy hour is till 9pm. (order them early even if the band starts at 10 plus). some drinks are entitled 1 for 1, the others has got special prices which can be approx $4 cheaper. some food items are also cheaper during happy hour. if you are planning to come on a weekend, do book a place. simple as it is, book online and you will also receive mails on the upcoming events of timbe.

timbre mobile

east coast park, near big splash area.

also visit the one near SMU.

haven't had the chance to patronise the other 2.

another siglap

an incidental find. although siglap and katong area has been fully combed by me, i didn't notice it till i found it on hungrygowhere. had to even look at the streetdirectory and googlemap so as to double confirm its existence.

shall start from my favourite part of the meal.

dessert.

hot brownie and chocolate ice cream served with whipped cream and brandied cherry.

brownie was fine, i guess its my personal pref that i don like brownie with nuts (of all sorts). i reckoned that ppl will think tht brownies are cheapo stuff if they don have nuts in it.

chocolate syrup (if thats wad it is supposed to be called) is thick and rich.





the all time favourite. i will travel miles for this. sorry when i took this it was alr half eaten.

creme brulee. warm on the surface as its charred till the sugar becomes caramelly-like. the rich taste of milk and vanilla is superb, soft and smooth. melts in your mouth not in your hands. something which leaves me hanging was the slightly burnt sugar which still had a bit of crunch to it.


this is part of the set dinner that was served and we had no idea wad it is. i presumed it's tako wraps? but the sauces that comes with it was kind of sour and the tomatos weren't exactly tasty.

hot plate chicken with black pepper sauce. served with sweet onions. average. the meat was alr cut up this way when it was served. for efficiency? but the overall appearance was sacrificed.

this was mine, the name i forgot cos it was spelled kind of weirdly. till today i am unsure wad kind of cuisine does this restaurant serve. anyway, chicken breast fried till crispy, topped with thick cheese and baked till perfectness. the baked potato was the most disappointing (esp when you compare it with jack's place's) but overall the dish was captivating. its not hard to have the preconception that breast meat will be tough and dry, but the dish was hardly difficult to swallow, smooth to the throat and no problems with chewing.

auntie note: jus a simple meal will do. set lunch and set dinner (if i am not wrong $28 for a main, drinks, dessert) was jus nice to let u have a heavy dinner. burps out loud.

Sidewalk Tavern
924 East Coast Road (S)459115