Tung Lok Signatures (Changi City Point)

Tung Lok used to be a place that we would go if we wanted the best dim sum. Unfortunately, it has disappeared from our radar for a while because there are simply too many dim sum places to try. Lunch at Tung Lok today, however, was rather average. 

The Century Egg Porridge ($6) was enough to fill 4 small bowls. Plain, old, healthy tasting porridge.

The Tempura Prawns with Wasabi ($4.50) were average- the wasabi taste was muted.

The Crisp Banana Roll ($4.20) was essentially goreng pisang with lotus paste in it- this wasn't the best combination because the sweetness of the lotus paste was competing with the sweetness of the bananas. The texture of both also added to the mushy factor of the roll. It would have been better if they just stuck to the banana without the lotus paste.

The Shrimp Dumplings ($5.50) were average- big and bouncy prawns but they weren't juicy or exceptionally fresh.

Inevitably, comparisons with Tim Ho Wan would arise when eating the Baked Honey Pork Bun ($4.80). We unanimously agreed that those at Tim Ho Wan are better- softer interior and sweeter pork fillings at Tim Ho Wan.

Lastly, the Lotus Paste Pancake ($10) was average.

The Baked Mini Egg Tarts ($4.20) were also over-baked.

All in all, you could find better dim sum at other places at this price. Two places that I will definitely recommend at a similar budget are Summer Pavilion and Royal China.

Tung Lok Signatures (Changi City Point)
Changi City Point
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-26/27 

Read More

Eggs & Berries

Recently, my good friend since secondary school days came back from Australia and together with another close friend, we decided on Eggs & Berries. Lots of fun colours at this place which serves all-day breakfast. 

I got Eggs Benedict ($16.80) which consists of 2 poached eggs with English muffins, bacon, ham, hash brown and salad. My idea of hash brown has always been the McDonald's kind. To me, this seemed more like rosti. The shredded bits of potato were a little clumpy. The eggs were runny and done nicely. Ham was pretty ordinary although I liked the bacon because it was not too salty.

We also got the Over the Rainbow ($13.80) which consists a variety of fruits and nuts. I'm not sure why the amount of fruits look significantly downsized, as compared to this blogger's picture. I love thick waffles and this was pretty decent, with a good portion of macadamia nuts and pistachio. You could also choose from a selection of chocolate sauce, maple syrup or raspberry sauce to drizzle over this delight.

I think it used to be more value for money but the prices keep creeping up. Nonetheless, it's still a good price to pay considering that the food's decent and it's a good place to spend the afternoon at. Service is also friendly.

Eggs & Berries
Changi City Point
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-37/38
Tel: 6636 4212

Read More

Table Manners

A friend gave two thumbs up to this place a couple of months ago. But because going to the extreme east and west of Singapore is a little of a chore by public transport (I coincidentally did both this week), it took me a while to drag myself to Table Manners. When we arrived at 1230 pm on a Sunday afternoon, we were the only ones inside. The crowd slowly trickled in thereafter. 

I love the furnishing and concept of this place. A clean touch but lots of quirky elements in it. The "table mat" was interesting and as part of the tips printed at the side, it states "Use your handphone at the table when you have a boring lunch partner". Other quotes are put in frames and hung on the walls.

When we were first seated, we were told by the waitress about the add-ons which included a soup, a dessert and a drink for $4.80. Later, we realised that this didn't apply during weekend lunch. But the supervisor was very gracious about it and offered to put it on the company's tab. More about the service later.

There are many methods of cooking Mushroom Soup (putting Campbell's into a pot does not count) and my favourite type is that which is thick and has lots of little mushrooms hidden within it. This was not dilute but wasn't as thick as I would like the mushroom soup to be- matter of personal preference. Other than that, the soup was filled with mushroomy goodness although it might be a little salty.

I got a Set B ($13.50) where you can choose two fibre and one protein. Other options include Set A (three fibre) ($9.50), Set C (one fibre + two protein) ($16.50) and Set D (two fibre and two protein) ($19). I opted for Herb Spiced Potato Wedges, Sauteed Mushrooms and Cajun styled Marinated Whole Chicken Leg.

The mushrooms were sauteed to perfection such that the juices were locked within the mushrooms. Unfortunately, although I took my first bite of the mushrooms when they first arrived, they were barely warm. The wedges were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside and had just the right amount of seasoning on it.

The star of this dish was the Cajun style Chicken. The Cajun Chicken I will remember for the rest of my life was this Cajun style Chicken Sandwich which was sold in a nondescript cafe in San Diego. But boy, it was one of the most delightful sandwiches I had ever eaten. After some googling, I guess I now have a very superficial understanding of what Cajun cuisine entails, but I still can't really grasp what its essence really is. In any case, this chicken was very tender and the meat shredded off easily. I'm not sure where the Cajun flavour came in but at least the sauce went well with the chicken.

The dessert of the day was Lemon Meringue. I have never been a fan of meringues because it's exceedingly sweet. Yet paired with the sourness of the lemon curd, strawberries and orange zest, I suppose this will still appeal to those with a sweet tooth as the sourness can neutralise the cloying sweetness.

As mentioned above about the mix-up, the supervisor offered to put the add-ons on the company's tab. We didn't want to take advantage of this mix-up and offered to pay the original price of the add-ons but the supervisor was very kind about it and insisted that we should not pay for the add-ons. The waitress who was confused about the add-ons also remained chirpy throughout  Only glitch in the service was that the waitress serving us didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm as the other girl who had made a mistake.

That said, if I were in the area again, I would drop by again. It's not that the food is superb- it's decent. It's just the combination of the vibe, the music, the furniture, the decent food, the friendly service and the overall concept that makes me want to visit this place again.

Table Manners
Changi City Point (opposite Expo)
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-69
Tel No: 6 604 7669 

Read More