Mui Kee Congee

We thought that the infamous queues at Mui Kee would have cleared by 8+ pm on a rainy day. However, we could not have misjudged the situation more, as there were still around 10 people ahead of us when we reached the restaurant. Thank goodness, the turnover was quite fast and we got a table within 15-20 minutes. 

Mui Kee was bustling on a Saturday evening despite the rain. It started off in Hong Kong in 1979 and the shop today is helmed by the founder's grandson. The seating was a little tight and many had to share tables, but I guess it's better than waiting outside for a seat.

I went for the basic Homemade Pork Meatballs Congee ($9.80). Raw rice grains are mixed with century eggs, and pork and fish stocks added thereafter. I enjoyed the smooth and clean porridge. There was a generous portion of meatballs in the porridge as well. We shared some very crispy Youtiao (Dough fritter) ($2) to go along with the porridge. While the porridge was served quickly, the youtiao took some time to come as they were probably prepared in batches.

We also ordered the Fried Bean Curd Skin ($6), which was crispy on the outside and had distinct layers of bean curd skin within, accompanied by a mayo dip.

To end off the meal, we shared a Soursop & Passionfruit Shaved Ice ($5). This was certainly enough for 2 to share, and could even be shared by 3 for the smaller eaters. This was certainly worth it, compared to Korean bingsu which always charged an arm and a leg. It was a refreshing and cooling end to the otherwise piping hot meal.

Service was prompt and friendly. I recommend this place as it is value for money and serves good food. The only thing that would prevent me from coming back frequently is the time spent waiting to get a seat in the restaurant.

Mui Kee Congee 
Shaw Centre
1 Scotts Road
#01-12
Tel No: 6737 2422 

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Mezza9

Lunch at Mezza9 is always a welcome affair, especially when you manage to get your hand on some card which allows you to get 50% off the bill!  

I always remembered the bread here, not so much for the bread per se, but because of the tangy tomato sauce which companies the bread.  

Their prices have increased since the last time I dined at Mezza9. A 2 course menu which used to be $29++ now costs $32 ++. The 3 course set lunch is priced at $42++.

Their menus change periodically and I did not find items that particularly appealed to me this round. I initially wanted to try the Blue Swimmer Crab Cakes. The waiter told me, "Just to let you know, the picture shows that there are two crab cakes but actually we will only be serving one." Then isn't there something wrong with their menu - first, the picture shows 2 crab cakes, then the name of the dish itself is plural!

Because I felt a little shortchanged, I ordered the Spencer Gulf Wild King Prawn Cocktail. Although the name of the dish sounded fancy, the prawns tasted like frozen prawns which had little texture to it.

The Gai Yang fared so much better. The chicken was grilled and marinated with honey and tamarind. There was a choice of three sauces, so you could decide which you wanted to dip your chicken into. A rather big piece of chicken was served and I enjoyed the smoky taste of the tender chicken.

After finishing the 2 course set meal with a cup of cappuccino, we decided to order a mango tart with coconut shards. The mango was sweet and the there was a mixture of a slightly creamy and "cakey" mixture on the tart, making this a refreshing dessert.

Mezza9 
Grand Hyatt Hotel
10 Scotts Road
Tel No: 6732 1234 

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Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

We had a free one night stay at a junior suite in Marriott as we had booked a package with them last year.

1. Location 

The location can't get any better. It is located in the heart of the shopping district and is incredibly near to the MRT station.

2. Room 

To our pleasant surprise, we were upgraded from the junior suite to the Premier Suite, which rate was more than double that of the junior suite! I can only say that it was a very luxurious experience. Located next to the pool, the room was adorned tastefully.

The bed and pillows were so comfortable and we had a good night's rest.

From the room, we had a view of the swimming pool. It's not like we really want to see the swimming pool (thinking of those vacations where we were in close proximity to the ocean!), but I really have nothing to complain about.

Besides the sofa area, there is also a dining area and a desk for you to do your work (complete with a TV).

3. Toilet 

The toilet was very spacious, with demarcated areas for the toilet bowl, basins, bathtub and shower area.

It's impossible not to fall in love with that toilet, not only for its furnishing, but also for its wonderful smelling and good quality Thann toiletries. These toiletries , I later found out, are natural aromatherapy products made using botanical sources. As a general rule, I bring my own toiletries when I travel because (1) I don't like the smell of the toiletries provided by the hotel or (2) the toiletries make my hair / skin rough. These Thann toiletries here have a refreshing orange smell and made my hair and skin smooth after shower. I know I have gone a little off tangent, from talking about the hotel room, to talking about these shower products. But these stuff are really good.

The bathtub is really there just to make people feel like every hotel stay after this will just be a bad one. There was a container of bath salt next to the bathtub and you could watch television as you bathed.

If you are not one for soaking in bathtubs,  there is also the shower area (with good water pressure).

Outside the room, there is a veranda and whirlpool. I mean, if there is a swimming pool outside your doorstep, I am not sure why anyone needs a whirlpool. I guess it's nice for two people to enjoy the stars at night in the whirlpool (I'm kidding, you probably can't see many stars at night from the hotel given that there is plenty of light pollution in Orchard road).

4. Executive lounge 

The room was fantastic but another highlight was the access to the executive lounge. From 530 pm to 730 pm there were complimentary hors d'oeuvres and from 730 pm to 930 pm, there were complimentary desserts. There are also drinks (including cocktails) and nuts available. We enjoyed the executive lounge because it had a very chill atmosphere with light music playing in the background and good service.

We went to the hors d'oeuvres expecting some small appetisers and were prepared to go out for dinner thereafter. What we didn't expect was that the amount of food was sufficient for dinner! They had both hot and cold food. Hot food included satay (which meat was in large chunks, well-marinated and very juicy), samosas and fried rice. Cold food included salmon, vegetarian rolls, sushi etc. They kept replenishing the food when it was running low. The desserts selection was not as impressive as the hors d'oeuvres and they did not replensish the desserts. The desserts were clearly not their forte.

The next morning, there was complimentary breakfast. Breakfast selection was not as wide as that at Marriott Cafe but nonetheless still made for a decent spread with muffins, croissants, bread, smoked salmon, limited dim sum and an omelette station.

There was also a selection of fresh fruits and yoghurt.

5. Amenities

There is a swimming pool, which is not large and not deep but good enough for a dip. There is also a gym which we didn't visit.

6. Conclusion 

Overall, the stay was very luxurious and we felt so pampered! 

The only small glitch is that we weren't sure whether we could go for the breakfast at Marriott Cafe (which definitely had a much wider spread). As such, we told the waitress our room number and asked her whether we were entitled to breakfast at the cafe. However, we were told that we were only entitled to the breakfast at the executive lounge and took her word for it as we didn't have a copy of the gift certificate. 

Honestly, we didn't mind breakfast at the executive lounge as well because the food was satisfying as well. However, after I checked out and checked a copy of my gift certificate (the original has been kept by them), I noted that it stated that we had a buffet breakfast for two at the Marriott Cafe. Maybe it's because they gave us executive lounge access so they cancelled our entitlement to breakfast to Marriott Cafe? We didn't pursue it because we weren't hard up for the breakfast at the Marriott Cafe in any event but just felt that this was all a little confusing.

Something that I was surprised about was the lack of complimentary wifi, in this day and age at a five star hotel. 

Otherwise, a great stay.

Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
320 Orchard Road
Tel No: 6735 5800 

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Cafe & Meal Muji (Paragon)

Muji is the kind of shop that I enter just to satisfy my eyes' need to look at beautiful things, yet not buy anything from because the prices aren't exactly cheap. While doing my usual rounds, we decided to get a meal from the cafe. 

You could either order the dishes ala carte or get a set meal. There were two Basic Deli Sets ($8.80)- Japanese (minced chicken, 1 cold deli, white rice, onsen egg and miso soup) and Western (minced chicken, 1 cold deli, bread, hijiki and mushroom bisque). You could also choose a set of 3 delis ($12.90), 4 delis ($16.90) etc. I wished they had the Basic Deli Set with the hot deli instead. 

I ordered a combination of Japanese and Western- Sakura Chicken with Curry Miso and Dried Chilli ($4.80) with Mushroom Bisque, Onsen Egg and Bread. This felt a bit kopitiamesque and I would have expected it to be served on prettier plates. Leaving that aside, the mushroom bisque tasted like it was made from scratch (i.e. certainly not your canned soup) and the onsen egg was very slurp worthy. The tender Sakura Chicken with Curry and Dried Chilli was an interesting combination and was slightly spicy.

No prizes for guessing what we did after the meal!

Cafe & Meal Muji Paragon 
Orchard Paragon
290 Orchard Road
#04-36 to 40
Tel No: 6735 0123 

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Fish & Chicks

Fish and chips in food courts are common. But fish and chips doused in chilli crab sauce and salted egg yolk sauce? 

As we were in a dilemma whether to choose the chilli crab sauce or the salted egg yolk sauce, the only rational thing to do was to order both.

The Best of Both Worlds ($14.80) comprises salted egg and chilli crab sauce over two pieces of fish, together with fries and a choice of side. One portion is good for a hungry teenager. But if you are inching towards 30 like me (or older), it would probably be a good idea to share. The moment my partner took a bite of the fish, he declared that he liked the batter of the fish - not too thick, not too oily and crispy.

Between the chilli crab sauce and the salted egg yolk sauce, I preferred the salted egg yolk sauce because the flavours weren't as overpowering as the chilli crab sauce.

Like my partner, I enjoyed the fish. However, I took issue with the onion rings. There was a grand total of 5 onion rings which tasted frozen. The onion rings were hard and lacking crunch and juiciness.

This is pretty value for money and innovative. They just need to get those onion rings in order.

Fish & Chicks 
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
Basement 1 (Koufu)

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Dutch Baby Cafe

What a name. 

Dutch Baby Cafe serves Dutch Baby pancakes, which are sometimes called a German pancake or a Dutch puff. The pancake is baked in a cast iron or metal pan.

This place was cosy and was the type of place where you could have tea and chat about life.

I got the Pork Cutlet Curry Rice ($17.80). I initially considered whether to get one for myself or share. The portion of pork cutlet is just nice for one person (with too much rice though). Nothing to complain about the rather standard Japanese curry rice.

However, if you don't care about the ambience and just want some good Japanese curry rice, I highly recommend Udon Goen at Wisma Atria's food court. They serve delicious curry rice at half the price.

We also got the Mixed Berries Pancake ($13.80). Eating this gave me mixed feelings. It tasted of the kueh lapis that my mum used to bake, which didn't taste like the usual kueh lapis at all. This is different from the typical pancake, it is more chewy and buttery, with slightly crispy sides.

Wouldn't come back for the curry rice, better off at Udon Goen.

Dutch Baby Cafe 
The Paragon
290 Orchard Road
#B1-13
Tel No: 68369488 

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49 Seats (Orchard Central)

The first time I visited the branch at Kreta Ayer, it was full and didn't accept any walk-ins. The second time I visited that branch again, I realised it was not opened for lunch. Finally, when I visited the branch at Orchard Central, we managed to get a seat! 

We went ahead with the popular Tom Yum Seafood Pasta ($14.90).  There was once I ran out of ingredients and all I had was Tom Yum paste, linguine and prawns and I must say, the combination of these ingredients is really a match in heaven.

Creamy and mildly spicy, this Tom Yum Seafood Pasta came with fresh prawns, clams and a mussel. My only gripe was that I found the sauce a little too salty. Bite into the chilli seeds and that might make you scramble for water.

It was packed at 8 pm on a Friday night but the turnover of customers was fast.

49 Seats
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#08-08
Singapore 238896 

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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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Carousel

I haven't gone to any buffets that made me go, "WOW" for a really long time. And a visit to Carousel didn't change that.

We went for the buffet lunch on Saturday ($55++) which was from 12 pm to 2 pm. 

The food stations were spread out and this forces you to walk in between all that eating.

We started off with appetisers and salads.

There were some Assorted Grilled Vegetables which is an interesting (and relatively healthy) addition to the buffet spread.

The Japanese food selection had fresh sashimi. 

The Chilled Seafood section had prawns, crayfish, mussels, oysters etc. However, both my friend and I noted that the crayfish had a rather mushy texture to it and thought that it didn't taste fresh. The rest of the seafood were fine.

 Get to choose your bread to accompany your soup- I chose the Zuppa Di Vongole (Clam Soup) which tasted a little foreign to me. It didn't taste like the typical clam chowder that we are used to.

The selection of Indian food was pretty good- however, the naan was too oily and tasted more like roti prata instead.

We didn't waste our stomach space eating the Chinese food because nothing stood out in particular.

Three dessert fondues- that's a rare sight! However, as I am not a fan of fondue, I didn't try any of these. I tried the ice cream next to it instead- you really can't go wrong with ice cream!

After ice cream, I headed straight to the dessert section which turned out to be a real disappointment. Despite the variety of desserts, there was a sore lack of chocolate desserts. Of course, not everybody enjoys chocolate, but you definitely need some of those on the dessert table! The desserts were also not the most tastefully plated and were not replenished. Less of those desserts in shot glasses and real desserts please!

The yoghurt station is also one novel station that is seldom seen at other buffet places.

There was also a cheese section which really appealed to my cheese-loving friend.

The good thing about this place is that it is Halal certified. Their service is also exceptional- they clear your plates once you leave the seat. The waiters and waitresses are also very friendly. When we were there, they were doing some sort of jingle for those having their birthdays. A very nice gesture. Besides that, while there is quantity in the buffet here, quality is somewhat lacking.

Carousel
Royal Plaza on Scotts
25 Scotts Road
Lobby Level 

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Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodle

Not knowing what to get at Ion food court, I called my mum, "What should I eat at ION?" Without hesitating, she replied "Get the fishball noodles. Fishballs very big." Indeed, this recommendation could not have been better. The queue was long and only got longer.

I ordered the Fishball Soup ($5.50). I am not really a fishball persons and I absolutely refuse to eat fishballs that they sell in the supermarkets because they taste horrible. The fishballs here are handmade and are incredibly bouncy and delicious. Considering the number and size of the fishballs, I would gladly pay $5.50 for this. My only regret eating this bowl of fishball kway teow soup was when there was nothing left to eat. Pair this with the chilli and it makes a perfect meal.

Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodle
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#B2-62

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