Tom's Palette Ice Cream

We last ate at Tom's Palette Ice Cream 6 years ago and had good memories of this place. On a Saturday night, we braved the queue for some good ice cream. 

This time, we decided to up our game and order their French Waffles with a scoop of ice cream. We had to wait 15 minutes for our waffles and that was fine because they informed us at the point of ordering. However, we were served disappointment on a plate. Ice cream parlours typically sell Belgian waffles and I was totally prepared for the French Waffles to taste different. What I didn't expect was an exterior which was half-heartedly crispy, and an interior that tasted like some cardboard pancake pre-mix or some bad homemade recipe for waffles. The After Eight ice cream scored much better with its bitter chocolate and refreshing mint. Spending around $10 for this combo was certainly a bad decision.

Order the ice cream, but forgo the waffle.

Tom's Palette Ice Cream 
Shaw Tower
100 Beach Road
#01-25
Tel No: 6296 5239 

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JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

We were looking for somewhere to have a staycation and to our pleasant surprise, realised that we had sufficient points to book a free night at JW Marriott Hotel. 

1. Location 

The location is unbeatable. It is right smack in the city centre and a short walk away from City Hall MRT / Esplanade MRT. Raffles City Shopping Centre is also a 7-12 minutes walk away. There is no lack of eating options in the area. 

This is how they bribe their guests- yummy gummies! These were placed near the entrance and what a pity we only saw it on the last day because these gummies were delicious.

The check in was fast and the lobby exuded a modern flair. The lifts were a little psychedelic, with the colours of the lights changing frequently.

3. Room 

The room was generally nice, but could do with some carpet cleaning as there were some stains on the carpet which was a little off-putting. There was a long corridor that led to the bed. It is obvious that this hotel is going down the modern / trendy route, with modern paintings splashed across the wall, and the cupboards / walls adorned with mirrors. I am a little mirror phobic and hence chose the side of the bed which did not face the mirror. We got pretty good views from the 14th floor. Plenty of TV channels including international channels. The bed was comfortable. 

4. Toilet 

If anything, I liked the toilet more than the room because it felt like the guy who designed the toilet is someone who finally understands travellers. The sink was extraordinarily wide to contain splashes, there was a stool outside the shower area so that you could put your clothes there (instead of walking some distance to the clothes hooks), mats were already placed at the areas which would always be wet (i.e. next to the bathtub and outside the shower area) so that you didn't need to figure which were bath towels and which were bath mats. Finally, someone who understands.

The bathtub, the shower area and the toilet were located in three separate areas. For those who enjoy the automated toilet bowls, you have it here.

I seldom use the bath products from hotels because they often make my hair express their unhappiness in the form of extreme tangles which takes forever to unknot. However, Marriott's bath products have generally proven to be good and these aromatherapy bath products did not disappoint.

Rain showers in major hotel chains are generally expected nowadays and this was no exception. There was good water pressure and no issue with the water temperature.

5. Amenities 

Even if you do not swim, you should definitely go to the swimming pool to have a look. It's ideal for admiring the beautiful skyline. You should go once at night and once in the morning as the feel is different at different times of the day.

It was extremely relaxing to just sit at the benches by the pool and enjoying the morning breeze.

Bonus: In addition to the swimming pool, there is also a pool table and a foosball table.

It is great for  people who want to do something other than swimming / going to the gym. How about a table tennis table next?



Large comfortable sofas for people to just relax and chill.

There was also a gym which looked pretty well-equipped.

6. Service 

Service was polite and the staff were always ready to render their assistance. They also took note of my request for a higher floor.

7. Overall 

A comfortable stay, but the prices are probably a little steep for a comparable five star hotel.

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach 
30 Beach Road
Singapore 189763
Tel No: 6818 1888 

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Aquamarine

I was on a boring bus ride home when I saw 52 Best Buffets by Hungrygowhere in my Inbox. To see the words "best" and "buffets" come together, I refrained from clicking the "delete" button which is what I usually do for most of the emails. 

The theme then was Penang Penang. We decided to drop by for the high tea buffet ($49.45). 

1) Salad, soup and appetisers 

It started off being rather promising. I didn't try the asparagus soup but my mum said it was good. The prawn salad was fresh and the flavours were light and refreshing with the accompaniment of fruits.

2) Japanese food 

The Japanese food section was rather limited in terms of the variety. There was seaweed, edamame, scallops (the kinds you see below), soba and the usual sushi.

3) Asian food 

Whether Penang food or not, I'm categorising all of them here. The Kueh Pie Tee was fragrant because of the dried shrimps in them.

The Char Kway Teow had wok hei and was spicy (people who can't take chilli, you have been warned!).

There was also lok lok, with a tub of hot water at the side to dip the lok lok in. I didn't try these because they didn't look too appetising. But apparently the food couldn't be cooked well even after dumping it in the hot water for quite some time because the water wasn't boiling water.

4) International fare

5) Dessert

I always judge a place based on its desserts.

How is it that a buffet place like this only serves yam and sweet corn ice cream?

The Opera Cake was the best of the lot- suitably bitter with a hint of coffee. The Kueh Lapis looked good but while the layers were distinct and spongey, it isn't fragrant enough. Avoid the puddings like a plague- the powder taste was so strong I classify it as nearly inedible.

Despite the average fare here, service was efficient and polite.

Aquamarine 
Marina Mandarin
6 Raffles Boulevard
Level 4
Tel No: 6 845 1111 

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Summer Pavilion

This place blew me away with its top-notch service. The service is just so amazing that everyone at the table had nothing but praise for all the servers here. 

We wanted to celebrate a birthday and decided to come to Summer Pavilion since the prices were pretty competitive, compared to our favourite dim sum haunts. 

Beautiful surroundings and natural light flooding the interior of the restaurant. 

The Century Egg Congee ($4.50) was enough for two to share. This was the first time I have ever seen the deep fried dough fritters being put in a separate dish- makes perfect sense because you can decide whether to have it crisp or soak it in the porridge. The porridge bordered on being a little too salty though.

The Prawn Dumplings ($5.20 for 4), unsurprisingly, belonged to the top league of har gows- bouncy, juicy with a thin skin.

Same goes for the Pork & Prawn Dumplings (Siew Mai) (4 for $5.20).

We also had a go at the Deep Fried Lobster Roll (1 for $3). The server was helpful and informed us that we didn't really need to order so many because one lobster roll could be cut into two. This was unfortunately a little disappointing- while the vermicelli was light and non-oily, there was no hint of any lobster.

The BBQ Pork Bun (3 for $4.50) had a fluffy skin and sweet pork filling.

We also ordered something we had never tried before- Egg Tart with Coconut (3 for $3.60). While it was an interesting twist to the egg tarts I so love, I still prefer the original egg tarts when the egg yolk part is wobbly and melts the moment it enters your mouth.

Without a trace of doubt, the food here belongs to the top league of dim sum players in Singapore. However, it is not the best of dim sum I've eaten to date.

The service, nonetheless, is really in line with the 5/6* rating of Ritz Carlton. From the changing of plates, to the refilling of tea, to the serving of a new cup of hot tea at the end of the meal, to their mannerism- everything was just flawless.

Summer Pavilion
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia
7 Raffles Avenue
Tel No: 6 434 5286 

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Cafe Mosaic

I had taken a long hiatus from this buffet eating business because eating at buffets makes me waste half my life away- it's one of the most time-consuming activities ever! One day, gluttony triumphed and we went to Carlton Hotel to try the buffet at Cafe Mosaic. It was $45++ for lunch. 

I only ate the prawns from the seafood section. While they weren't exceptionally fresh, they were passable. 

The sushi station was pretty standard.

Here's something I didn't expect to see at a buffet. How often do you see Soft Shell Crabs? I love deep fried soft shell crabs! A pity though, one thing that Cafe Mosaic doesn't do very well, is to keep their food warm. Same applies for the Chinese food section. The first time I took the soft shell crab, it was bordering on being room temperature. A fresh batch of deep fried soft shell crab came shortly after. 

For the Rojak section, they provided a toaster by the side which most buffets don't provide. So it's actually possible to make a plate of cripsy fritters! I also liked the fact that the jambu was very sweet! 

The Laksa was pretty good- fragrant and thick gravy with prawns and fishcake. 

I tried the Chocolate Brownie which was intense and full of chocolately goodness.

The cakes here were so insanely beautiful that it would take a person with a cruel heart, like me, to take the first stab at the cakes.

This Orange Mousse Cake was sour and sweet at the same time. It was like eating a whole packet of Starburst!

The Black Forest Cake was definitely the star of the show. Stuffed with dark chocolate, big pieces of cherries within the cake, layers of spongy cake with a hint of alcohol. This had to be the best Black Forest Cake I have ever eaten.

Food here is slightly above average and the planning of the space was clearly well thought out since I never had to join a queue. Service was exceptional as well, with friendly service staff clearing the plates and refilling your cups without having to request them to do so. Nice experience overall.

Cafe Mosaic 
Carlton Hotel
76 Bras Basah Road 

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Ah Loy Thai

We were here a few Sundays back only to realise that Ah Loy Thai was closed on Sundays. But were we deterred by that? Obviously not! So, we were back last Saturday. We thought we had to wait since it was lunchtime but we were in, in around 5 minutes. 

Note: No GST and service charge. 

Their shop was partitioned. This is one of the two spaces, with another to its left. By the way, I don't like the plastic chairs. They look stylo mylo but they don't feel good at all for balancing.

We ordered the classic Pineapple Fried Rice ($7). It wasn't too overwhelming but just right, with the wok hei fragrance. I suppose it's not cooked with the usual yellow curry paste which normally gives pineapple rice its distinct yellow colour.

You ain't at a Thai restaurant if you don't order Tom Yum. The Tom Yum Seafood ($7.50) had prawns and squids in it, and was not too spicy.

I think the Thai Pandan Chicken ($10) totally stood out! Four big chunks of chicken, marinated in delicious condiments, accompanied by dipping sauces at the side. All the moisture locked within the chicken. Only "bad" thing was that it was a little oily.

I didn't really fancy Thai Green Curry ($7.50) but that's a matter of personal preference because I don't like the milky taste to stand out too much. Otherwise, there are many pieces of tender chicken and fishballs in it.

The Thai Fried Tofu ($6.90) had the signature Thai sweet and spicy chilli sauce drizzled over it. Good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

We also ordered the Thai Mango Crispy Chicken ($8.50) which was basically deep fried chicken with sauce over it. The sauce didn't have a very strong mango taste and we felt that this dish was not worth it.

Besides the mango crispy chicken, we were satisfied with the rest of the food. Coupled with 6 drinks, it added up to $60+ for 6 people. Sure, the service isn't outstanding. But remember, no service charge? Totally worth your buck if you are in a big group and can share the food!

Ah Loy Thai 

Shaw Tower
100 Beach Road
#01-39/40
Tel: +65 9165 1543
(Closed on Sundays) 

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