Food Review: Greenhouse @ Ritz Carlton

Both of us were craving to have a buffet all of a sudden. We did not know where to go but we just wanted to have a buffet. I thought, why not try the "always-raved-about" buffet, Greenhouse at Ritz Carlton. I called and reserved 2 seats and we reached there even before they opened for seating because we were nearby. The moment it was 6.30pm, we got seated. The place itself was big. They had tons of seats,  but what surprised me immediately was the variety of food. It was NOT a lot. Ok, let me just say that this is an $80 buffet. It is extremely expensive, in my standards. And this was just so so to me. Maybe I am just expecting too much? Maybe the food on its own is worth the price?

So we went ahead to slowly walk around. I took quite a number of photos and started trying the food. I made it a point to try a little of everything. After trying almost everything, I had just one word to describe this buffet; disappointing. The food was actually quite bad. Everything seemed ready made or made in some factory and sent to the restaurant. The sushi obviously seemed made in a factory. The sashimi was fine, it wasn't exactly fresh but it was fine. The other japanese dishes were horrendous. The oysters were quite fresh but tasteless. The lobster was ok. The indian food tasted good. The chinese food tasted good. The other cooked dishes, which I have forgotten about, tasted quite ok as well. The soup was good but tasted like Campbells' canned soup. The desserts were horrible. I really do not know what more to say here.

This buffet was really disappointing to me simply because it was expensive but bad. I'm a person who is willing to pay for good food. Of course, I'm not a fine dining fanatic who pays $200 for a 4 course meal in posh restaurants but when I pay above average prices, I expect above average standards in the food. Everything here was just similar or below the standards of many other buffets I've been to.

What I can conclude from this experience, after a small discussion with my army friend, was that the price here was mainly for the lobster, sashimi and oysters. That is what you are paying for. The rest was just "extras which come free in the package". That is how I honestly feel about this buffet. Is it a buffet worth paying for? NO! Will I ever come back? Never! Even if it was free? YES, never again.

Oh, but the service staff were nice. They were very friendly and pleasing. And of course, the environment was clean and pleasant as well. Those are the only good things here.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Punggol Nasi Lemak @ Kovan

Girlfriend and I were breaking our heads wondering where to eat. We wanted something different. I thought of Punggol Nasi Lemak because it was on the way and I was not very hungry. I have tried their nasi lemak before and I felt it was good. So we went over, bought one plate and shared.

I personally like it because their rice is very mildly flavored and yet tasty. The sambal is very spicy and fresh. And of course, the ingredients are constantly being replenished due to the high turnover rate, so the deep fried dishes are always fresh and awesome. Price wise, they are quite pricey, but I feel it is quite worth it. The coffee shop itself is quite big, so getting seats are not much of an issue, but sometimes, the crowd is just overwhelming. During such situations, I suggest taking away and going to some nearby park to enjoy it.

She like the sambal very much but she felt the rice was not rich enough for her. She prefers rich, flavorful rice which glistens under the light. Of course I would love that too, but mild flavor works for me as well.

Overall, this is good food but queues can get extremely long and the people serving you may seem a little rude or grumpy. Other than that, I think you should try if you haven't tried before.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Uno Beef House @ Toa Payoh

Alright, first of all, I do not take beef. But this is the name of a western food stall located at Toa Payoh. Quite a famous shop in a coffee shop. I was with my friend and he heard about it before. We were not doing much, so we decided to go there to try it out. There were quite a lot of people at the coffee shop itself and everyone was patronising them. I looked through the menu and decided to have their pork chop. He had their chicken chop.

Even though it was crowded, they had a very fast and efficient system put in place, so we were served relatively fast. We only waited for about 10-15 minutes. Seeing the number of people, I expected to wait much longer.

It was the typical western food you get from any other place, only difference was the mashed potato. Over here, they rolled the mashed potato into a ball, covered it with fine breadcrumbs and deep fried it. I t was different, but not very special in terms of taste. It was, well, just mashed potato. And I was they put in too much of butter, which gave it a sick after taste. The meats were both cooked well and tasted good. But really, there was not much difference from the norm. I felt the western food from Cafe 107 at Serangoon North was way better. The pork chop was so so, it was not try tender and the black pepper sauce they put over it was just too common in terms of taste. The chicken chop was also very normal. I found it quite thin. I feel that meats should be a wee bit thick to allow you to taste the tenderness and juiciness.

Overall, it was really no different from any ordinary shop. Would I go again just to eat there? No. Would I eat there if I was in the area and it was time for a meal? Yes, maybe.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: The Marmalade Toast @ Ngee Ann City

Was spending time with girlfriend and she had a craving for the Lemon tart from this place called Marmalade Toast at Ngee Ann City. I have never been there. She went there with friends before and she loved the Lemon tart. So we went there and it was quite crowded. The place itself is really small. They have really maximized the amount of seats they can place in the area. It was a little cramp and the ambience was good. If there were few people, it would be a very good place to chill out and relax.

We went in, found 2 seats and went to the counter to order. We ordered a smoked salmon sandwich, lemon tart, cappuccino ad coke light. I forgot how much we paid though, less than $15, I think.

The smoked salmon sandwich was good. The bread was fresh and toasted. The salmon did not have any bad fishy smell. The saltiness was just nice and it tasted good. The lemon tart itself was very good. She kind of disliked it this time round because she said it was too sour. She said the last time round, it was sweeter. But I felt it was good. I like the sour taste once in a while and their lemon tart has a good balance between the sweet and sour taste. The crust of the lemon tart was fresh and mildly crisp as well. Very good overall. The coffee was just a normal coffee made from their coffee machine, nothing special about it but nothing bad about it as well. Overall, it was a good and pleasant experience.

Definitely recommend this place, but if there are many people there, it will not feel so cosy.

SimpleMakan

Recipe: Banana Cake

Ingredients
250g plain flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
115g butter
200g sugar
115g brown sugar
2 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla essence
50ml milk
75g chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius and prepare a 10 inch cake tray.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

4. In a small bowl, mix the bananas with vanilla and milk. Add the banana mixture and the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately in 2 or 3 batches and stir until blended. Then stir in the nuts.

5. Pour the batter into the cake tray and bake for about 35-40 minutes.

SimpleMakan

Food Review: Banana Muffins

Ingredients
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3 large bananas
1 egg
70g brown sugar
50ml vegetable oil
30g raisins

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degree celcius.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.

3. Beat the bananas with a mixer. Then beat in the egg, sugar and oil.

4. Add in the dry ingredients and beat gradually on low speed. Mix until blended and then stir in the raisins.

5. Fill up your muffin cups or tray till it is 2/3 full. For even baking, fill in any one muffin cup with water. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20-25 minutes.

SimpleMakan