Hai Di Lao (313@Somerset)

Hai Di Lao is one of those places where it is obvious that they want to win over customers not only through their food, but through the extra perks which are not available elsewhere. 

Founded in 1994 in China, Hai Di Lao serves mainly Sichuan style hotpot. While you are waiting for your turn, you get a free platter of snacks- both unhealthy and healthy. You can also arrange for a free manicure session. In my case, the screen cover on my phone was starting to have little bubbles and the staff helped to replace the sheet free of charge. Before and after the meal, the waitresses will also give you hot towels for you to freshen up.

The first thing to do is to order your soup base. In this case, we decided to go with the mushroom soup and the chicken soup ($18). I really liked their soup because of the rich flavour which didn't leave a lingering MSG taste.

We ordered half a portion of Black Pork ($9.50). Half portions are good because you can order a larger variety of food.

Of all things, the Sweet Corn ($6) was rather disappointing because it wasn't really sweet.

The Handmade Fishballs (half portion for $5) were nothing like the fishballs we are used to. Instead, it contained roe and was very bouncy. A must order.

The chicken (half portion for $6) was well marinated.

The food was definitely decent (although its price tag is on the higher side). What you are really paying for is the good service, the "freebies" and the theatric effects. We ordered the noodles ($4) and one of their staff came by and pulled the noodles before us, while attempting to "tease" us by swinging the noodles inches in front of your eyes. Next to us, there was a man who was celebrating his birthday and a waitress rolled a trolley with different fruits, LED lights of every colour and Chinese music blasting together with a trolley.  Needless to say, the staff topped this off with a loud birthday song.

Overall, an enjoyable experience although I would go to this place for special occasions because I can probably find the same quality of food at cheaper prices elsewhere.

Hai Di Lao 
313 @ Somerset
313 Orchard Road
#04-23/24
Tel No: 6835 7227 

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Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant

Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant is one of two revolving restaurants in Singapore. It offers good views of the port and Sentosa and don't worry, it revolves slowly enough such that you wouldn't get nauseous while eating. 

The restaurant has been around since 1977 and has that old school feel.  

For Father's Day, we ordered the set menu for 6 ($288++) and the menu looked promising (later, I found out that it does not help to have high expectations). 

The meal started off with Shredded Scallops with Fish and Egg White. While the smooth consistency of the dish was enjoyable, the egg white taste started to overwhelm the taste buds after a while such that the entire dish tasted predominantly of egg white. Some might also find this a little too mushy. 

The Fish Maw & Seafood in Thick Soup was average.

The Stewed Pork Ribs was one of the better dishes- it was not tough and tore easily.

The Authentic Barbecued Peking Duck was disappointing. Peking duck is typically served without the meat- look from the picture how much meat came out together with the skin. The skin was also not as crispy as it ought to be.

The vegetables were again average.

I didn't enjoy the noodles at all. I have a particular aversion to yellow noodles which have that slightly bitter taste. Needless to say, I barely ate a few mouths of this.

The fish came out right at the end, around the same time as dessert. If this is not poor planning, I don't know what it is. I found the fish lacking in freshness although it was not to the extent that it will cause a stomach upset.

The dessert was Osmanthus Jelly. Given that I have tried to make Osmanthus Jelly, I know how inexpensive and quickly this dessert can be made, despite restaurants making this look like a high-end dessert. This osmanthus jelly didn't have a strong osmanthus taste. Presentation was awful as well.

Food is not great, not value for money. For that price, you are better off somewhere else unless you are paying for the views. Staff generally looked like they were owed wages.

Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant
201 Keppel Road
Tel No: 6272 8822 

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Herbal Oasis

We wanted to go to 49 Hands, only to realise that it was closed for lunch on a Saturday. We then decided to go to Herbal Oasis nearby. 

Herbal Oasis is situated above Renhai Clinic and the food served here is developed by TCM practitioners together with the chefs. There is a zen feel to this place, where soothing classical music plays softly in the background. Human traffic was low on weekend and you can take a break from the noisy world out there.

We got an Economy Express Meal ($9.90) which consists of a rice and soup. We got the yam rice and Qi Tonic Chicken Soup. The Qi Tonic Chicken Soup is supposed to be beneficial for the digestive system and suitable for growing youth. The yam rice was flavourful with chunks of yam in it. The herbal flavour in the soup was present but not overpowering and was light on the palette.

We also ordered a Walnut Brown Rice ($4) and Poached Spinach with Braised Mushrooms ($7). This is my first time trying Walnut Brown Rice- slightly sweet tinge to the rice with little chunks of walnuts and raisins added to the rice. After eating the rice, I felt so healthy- all the beneficial ingredients in this small little bowl! The bright coloured greens were also crunchy and they definitely didn't stinge on the mushrooms!

The meals here are simple and healthy, a break from the usual unhealthy food that we consume a lot nowadays.

Herbal Oasis 
27A Neil Road
Singapore 088817
Tel No: 6221 8798 

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Noodle Place Restaurant

On a Friday night, Noodle Place Restaurant was packed. 

I can never resist Shrimp Wanton Noodle Soup ($8). The noodles were reminiscent of those at Mak's Noodles in Hong Kong (which I really like despite the puny portion)- Thin, eggy and springy. Only later did I found out that the executive chef was a former chef at Mak's. Prawn dumplings weren't exactly super fresh but good enough.

I actually preferred the Noodle Place Special Congee ($12.50) over the noodles, which was basically a bowl of smooth congee with a lot of ingredients- duck, cuttlefish, jellyfish, pig's liver, minced pork ball, and prawn etc. It's the kind of congee where you get some ingredient on your spoon with every scoop. Get this if you are feeling hungry.

The Roast Duck ($15) was tender and executed well.

Value for money, although service may be unable to keep up with the crowd.

Noodle Place Restaurant
277 Orchard Road
#01-17
Orchard Gateway
Tel No: 6733 3171 

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Diamond Kitchen

If I had a list for best food I had this year (which I don't), this restaurant would definitely make it into the list. 

Located at a condominium in the East, the last time I came to this condominium was more than a decade ago when I attended my primary school friend's birthday party.

We basically ordered everything from their specialties list.

We got the Three Eggs Chinese Spinach ($18) which contained egg whites, salted egg and century egg. Speaking of century eggs, I recently read this article which talks about how toxic chemicals are used to hasten the egg-festering process. My philosophy in life is that everything should be in moderation- as long as I don't eat century eggs on a regular basis, I guess the article isn't going to stop me from enjoying this occasionally! The use of wolfberries was clever- look at how much colour it adds to this dish!

We also got a Pumpkin Bean Curd ($18) which was bean curd covered with a generous serving of pumpkin sauce. It's supposed to come with pieces of prawn, crab meat and scallop but the taste of the seafood got masked by the stronger flavours of the pumpkin sauce.

We also tried the Champagne Pork Ribs ($18) which was very tender and the sauce was delicious.

This was really a highlight- the Superior Stock Clam Beehoon ($24). The stock was rich with clam juice with a medley of other flavours I couldn't really identify. So complex and satisfying at the same time.

If you don't know what it means to have an addiction, these Salted Egg Sotong ($12) will patiently explain to you while you undergo cold turkey, trying to stop your hands from inching the chopsticks nearer and nearer... Give up.

I am not a fan of salted egg but this just went perfectly well with the sotong. It was crisp, not oily and salted egg didn't overpower the sotong.

The Gan Xiang Fried Rice ($12) was also something special I have never tried. For those who can't take spice, I suggest you don't try this. It's very fragrant and tastes like fried curry rice. Needless to say, this was a well-executed plate of fried rice where every rice grain was distinct.

Reservations is a must here. One day in advance may not be sufficient- try one week. Service can be a little slow- people have said that the service is bad. What we have experienced is that they may be slow but they are not rude. Worth a go!

Diamond Kitchen
Laguna Park Condominium
5000F Marine Parade Road
#01-22/23
Tel No: 6 4480629 

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Tong Ah Eating House

I think it's always interesting to know the history of streets- I'm thinking of getting this book titled Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics. Anyway Keong Saik Street used to be a red-light district which is now transformed into a hip area crowded with eateries. 

Tong Ah used to be located in an iconic triangular-shaped building down the road but has since shifted here. Being the lazy people we were, we decided to order whatever was recommended and featured in a Channel 8 variety programme.

We ordered the 奇香豆腐 ($8) which had minced pork and chai por laid on the silky tofu. The simplest of ingredients came together to form a very comforting dish.

The 甘香鸡煲 ($10) was something that we have never tried before. Deep fried, the chicken was coated with a rather heavy coating of a slightly spicy sauce. Two or three pieces might be good, but it starts to get a bit gelat after a while.

Another of their famous dish is the 奶皮带子卷 ($15). This dish was an attempt at putting many things together at the same time- lots of mayonnaise, pork floss and scallop. The result is that the mayonnaise and pork floss masked the taste and texture of the scallop. 

The vegetables were a little hard.

The Coffee Pork Ribs were fragrant and the meat was easily separated from the bone.

An inexpensive eatery. Despite ordering the above and an assam fish, the bill came up to less than $20 per person.

Tong Ah Eating House 
35 Keong Saik Road
Tel No: 6 567 4000 

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Hua Ting 华厅

I always thought it was 华亭 instead of 华厅. In any case, doesn't the former sound better than the latter? 

Please place reservations here or it's unlikely that you will be able to get a table on weekends- it was fully packed when we went!

We ordered Seafood Roll ($1.80 each)- golden little deep fried packets containing cold fruit salad.

The Steamed Prawn Dumplings ($1.80 each) had huge, juicy dumplings. Pity the skin was a little thick!

The Pan Fried Carrot Cake ($1.40 each) was rather forgettable.

I loved the Scallop Siew Mai ($1.80 each). The scallops were fresh and juicy. I should stop using the word "juicy" so often in the same post, but really, that is simply calling a spade, a spade.

Eating the skin of the Char Siew Bao ($1.40 each) was like sinking your teeth into a feathery pillow- that was how light and fluffy the skin was. Sweet pork filling.

These Egg Tarts ($1.50 each) were above average. Wobbly egg filling which was not too sweet, filled in a crusty tart- you won't be able to stop at one!

The Vegetarian Cheong Fun ($5.60) was an interesting break from the normal char siew or prawn filling. Light and refreshing.

Finally, I got to taste some good Red Bean Pancake ($12) after so long! These things might look easy to make but they are easy to taste mediocre as well. Hua Ting does this really well, thick skin crust which is crispy but not oily, does not deflate into some lifeless skin after a while, with lots of red bean filling.

The dim sum here is good. Service was not attentive though.

Hua Ting
Orchard Hotel
442 Orchard Road
Tel No: 6 739 6666 

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Grand Shanghai

This place seeks to bring you back to old Shanghai- the chandeliers, the stage where the band performs, everything about it just feels like this is not a typical Chinese restaurant. 

Other than the atmosphere, the dim sum was pretty average. The Siew Mai ($4.50) was my favourite of the lot with juicy fillings.

The Egg Tarts ($1 per piece) are a far cry from what any good egg tart should be like- the egg yolk didn't melt instantly and the crust did not have the aromatic buttery kick to it.

We ordered Steamed Crabmeat Dumplings ($8) but couldn't really taste the crabmeat.

The Braised Ee Fu Noodle with Crabmeat ($22) was moist and pretty good.

The Crispy Pancake Stuffed with Red Bean Paste ($12) was average. 

I wouldn't recommend getting the dim sum here because for the same price, you can get something better elsewhere. Service is nearly non-existent during weekend lunch hours.

Grand Shanghai
King's Centre
390 Havelock Road
#01-01
Tel No: 6836 6866

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