Quan Hotpot (寬巷子)

• Quan Hotpot 
• 台北市士林區中山北路五段505巷22號
• +886 2 2883 1599
• https://www.facebook.com/QuanAlley
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My Taiwan friend brought me to this popular hotpot place in Taiwan. 

#1: Traditional hotpot in Taiwan comes with unlimited tofu skin and duck blood and these can be very filling. 

#2 :  You can always bring home the leftover soup base home.

#3 : In Singapore, the best portion of the soup is at the end of the steamboat session as the soup is filled with the goodness of lots of meat, seafood and vegetables. In Taiwan, the best portion of the soup is at the beginning of the meal as the soup base has been brewed with herbs. 

#4: Always make a reservation! Hotpot is a weekend tradition for Taiwanese. For popular restaurants, reservations is a must! 

I love the way food is presented in this restaurant. A vegetable dish is arranged to resemble a bouquet. Nice ~

Equinox

Equinox @ Swissotel The Stamford

2 Stamford Road

Level 70

+65 6837 3322

Opening hours:

Lunch: 12pm to 2.30pm

High Tea: 3.30pm to 5pm

Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Brunch (Sun): 11am to 2.30pm

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Equinox is situated on the 70th floor, it has an impressive view of the Singapore marina bay skyline.

We went to the semi buffet lunch, which cost $59++ per person. 

The buffet lunch includes one main course and buffet spread of appetizers and desserts. 

One challenge of having a semi buffet lunch is to determine the most appropriate time to call in the main course as you do not want to be either :

- Too full from the appetizers to start on the main course or 

- Too full from the main course to enjoy the desserts

This is the second time that I have tried a semi buffet lunch. 

One Ninety at Four Seasons

For the mains, you can choose one of the following:

- Herb crusted salmon

- Pan seared barramundi

- Sakura chicken breast

- Beef fillet, 

- Slow roasted pork belly

- Wild mushroom raviolo

- Half grilled main lobster (requires a $15 top-up)

You can also opt to have a slice of 70g foie gras with your mains at an additional $10.

Things That I love: 

1. Affordable (especially with 50% discount using the Feed At Raffles Card) - 45%

2. Wide variety of oysters - 20%

3. Premium food served, i.e. caviar and foie gras mousse - 15%

4. Spectacular skyline - 5%

The buffet for 2 person is $59 before taxes (i.e. $69 with taxes). 

This is an awesome deal for a hotel buffet for 2 people. 

Caviar was also served in the buffet. 

Another thing that I liked was the wide variety of oysters served. 

I enjoyed the experience even though i had a mild bout of diarrhea after that. 

Things That make me cringe:

1. Mild bout of diarrhea after taking the oysters - 10%

2. Overcooked beef  - 5%

I have ordered the beef fillet, medium.  

However, it came out as medium well. 

Will I come back again?

Definitely (85%)

An unexpected discovery - Scones

After trying so many places, this is like one of the best scones I ever had. 

Soft and fluffy. 

It can be found at The Lobby Lounge at Shangri-La Sydney Hotel. 

I am going to book myself a afternoon tea on my next visit!

Lowenbrau

Lowenbrau

9am til late

Corner of Playfair & Argyle Streets

The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia 

+61 2 9247 7785

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This is the Schweinshaxn, which is Oven-Roasted Pork Knuckle Served with Sauerkraut, Löwenbräu Bier Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. 

Unlike the pork knuckles, this one is soft and does not stick to the bone. 

The skin is crispy too!

Will I come back?

Yes, I would.  And this time, I will pair it with Lowenbrau beer!

Pancake on the Rocks

Pancake on the Rocks

4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks, Sydney 

+61 2 9247 6371 

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I have heard many reviews about this restaurant.

There are many outlets in Australia and I went to The Rocks outlet at Sydney.
This restaurant is set up by an American, Roger Meadmore. He wanted to bring the pancake obsession to Australia, where one can eat pancakes with anything(just like how Australia eats toast).

The menu is interesting. You can opt to have pancakes as a :

1. Traditional breakfast
2. Dessert, 
3. Mains (paired with beef, chicken, mushrooms etc)

I ordered The Dawn (AUD 13.50), which is hash brown with scrambled egg, bacon and grilled pineapple.

Will I come back?

Definitely. The bacon is crispy and delicious. When paired with the grilled pineapple, it is so heavenly. It's value for money as the portion is huge.

Cafe Sydney

Cafe Sydney

5th Floor, Customs House

31 Alfred Street Circular Quay, NSW, 2000

+ 61 2 9251 8683

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Cafe Sydney is located at the top floor of Customs House. It gives a spectacular view of the Harbour Bridge. Indoor and outdoor seating are available.

For appetizer, I had half a dozen freshly shucked oysers on ice with eschallot and caramelised cabernet vinegar (AUD 21.50)

Mains was crispy pressed Berkshire pork, pine nut crusted pork loin, morcilla sausage, prune, sweet potato, jus (AUD 39)

I ordered fried banana, peanut butter parfait, salted caramel peanut, chocolate ice cream for desserts (AUD 19)

Will I come back?

If you are a tourist like me, it is worthwhile to book a table at Cafe Sydney for the experience. What's the best way to enjoy the view with a glass of wine.

The Line

The Line @ Shangri-La Hotel

12 to 2.30pm (weekdays); 12 to 3pm (weekends and public holidays)

6213 4275

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It's been a while since I went to The Line. The last visit was in 2009.

I happened to come across the $36 per person deal on their website. The usual price for lunch buffet is at $48++. There will be 15% discount if you book the table online. Depending on the date that you choose, there may be additional promotions, ranging from 25% to 35%.

One of the thing that I liked about The Line is that it allows diners the option to grill their cold items (such as oysters, crayfish, lobsters) at the Italian counter and they will grill the items with cheese. This is not publicized in the menu but this reflects the flexibility at which the restaurant is willing to do for their diners.

Will I come back?

Yes, I would. I have always been a fan of Shangri-La Hotel and would definitely come back. The only question is The Line or Rose Veranda...

Tim Ho Wan

Tim Ho Wan

Plaza Singaura #01-29A

10am to 10pm (Mon to Fri) ; 9am to 10pm (Weekend and Public Holidays)

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After hearing the reports of extremely long queues and that it is a Michelin star restaurant, I was hoping to wait for the hype to sizzle down a bit before trying it.

At Tim Ho Wan, there are the Top 4 Heavenly Dim Sum:
1. Vermicelli Roll with Pig Liver - $5.50
2. Baked Bun with BBQ Pork - $4.50

3. Pan Fried Carrot Cake - $4.50

4. Steamed Egg Cake - $3.80

I love the Vermicelli Roll with Pig Liver ($5.50)  This is a new flavour that I have tried as this usually comes with either prawns or BBQ meat. The pig liver was soft and slightly reddish.

The Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50) is similar to a Po Lo BBQ meat bun. However, the meat used is large chunks char siew. This is more generous than the usual minced char siew served as most restaurants.

Pan Fried Carrot Cake ($4.50) is good if you like to taste the taste of the carrots. It goes well with the chilli sauce with bean paste.

And finally, steamed egg cake ($3.80) . The texture is soft and fluffy. You can also taste the gula melaka. Prior to this, I do not really fancy this dish at a dim sum place as it is bland and tasteless.

One thing that I liked about this Tim Ho Wan is that it provides styrofoam boxes and paper bags for you to pack your favourite items home. If you are a small eater and likes variety, this is really the place to go!

Will I come back?

Yes, but maybe in a few weeks time as I went to Tim Ho Wan twice in a single week. 

Asuka Japanese Dining @ JW Marriott Jakarta

"When a tempura prawn is a prawn, and not a worm"

Asuka Japanese Dining @ JW Marriott Jakarta

+62 21 5798 8898

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This is a fine dining Japanese restaurant located at the ground floor of JW Marriott Hotel.
We tried the Japanese food here on our first day at Jakarta and we were hooked.

I loved the variety in each lunch set.
There is a good combination of lunch sets available, sashimi and tempura, sushi and tempura etc.
We were so spoilt for choices that we ate at the restaurant for 3 consecutive days.

One key highlight was the Tempura Prawns. The tempura prawns used in Singapore are usually thin and small. However, at Asuka, the prawns used are huge. This is how the quote above came about.

And finally, I like the Zen ambience.
A good place to enjoy a good meal and relax.

Will I come back?

Yes, I will come here again during my next trip to Jakarta. In terms of price, it is comparable to a typical set lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Singapore, i.e. $30 per person. However, in Jakarta, this is definitely an expensive meal.

Honeymoon Special #3 - Kobe Beef

神戸牛専門店 吉祥吉

中央区元町通2-4-14, Kobe-shi, Hyogo, Japan 650-0022

Telephone: 78-332-1122

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm

Website: http://www.koubegyuu.com/

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I have heard recommendations that lunch time is the best time to get a good deal of Kobe beef as lunch sets are generally cheaper. 

Found this restaurant that served Kobe beef of varying grades, ranging from JPY 1,500 for a 60gram red meat to JPY 9,000 for a 120g champion kobe beef set. Champion kobe is the grade given to Kobe beef. 

We selected the Special Marble meat instead - 80g and 120g. 

A little background on Kobe beef... 

It comes from the cuts of beef from the Tajima strain of Wagyu cattle, raised in Hyogo prefecture. Characteristics of kobe beef are flavour, tenderness, fatty & well marbled texture. 

To qualify for the terms kobe beef, the meat has to come from bullocks or virgin Tajima cows and must fulfil the following:

1. Marbling: BMS 6 or higher
2. Yield Score: Proportion of edible parts from a single head of cattle A or B
3. Gross carcass weight: 470kg or less
4. Fine meat texture and excellent firmness

Will I come back?

It's definitely a nice experience to try it once in a blue moon. 

Not recommended to try it often as it can clog up your arteries. 

Honeymoon Special #2 - Sampling Puffer Fish (aka Fugu)

玄品ふぐ

530-0027 Osaka, Kita-ku, Osaka Doyama town 4-17

Telephone: 06 6311 0129

Opening Hours: 5pm to 12 midnight

Website: http://www.tettiri.com/

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We came across this restaurant as we saw this tank filled with puffer fish near our hotel. 

This is one of the items that we wanted to try. 

The restaurant has lots of fugu inspired paintings on the walls. 

An English guide is provided to us on the correct way to sample fugu. 

We ordered the Fugu Tessa (Thin Sashimi)  JPY 980

This is the ponzu sauce to go with the sashimi. 

I like the texture of the fugu sashimi. It's crunchy and chewy and makes you want to take another piece after that. 

We also ordered the Ponzu Tecchiri (Hotpot) JPY 1,980

Will I try fugu again?

Yes, I will. I can't wait to try all the other parts of the puffer fish.

Also, I was a bit worried when I tried it for the first time, reason being the ponzu sauce is is quite spicy and it makes me wonder if the burning sensation is due to the poison in the puffer fish poison or the sauce.

Will I come back again?

Yes, definitely. 

Honeymoon Special #1 - Sampling Horse Meat

Musashi Sushi

604-8008 Kyoto Sanjo Kawaramachi Nakagyo well Ebisu town 440

Telephone: 075 222 0634

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm

Website: http://www.sushinomusashi.com/

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Heard a lot of reviews about Musashi Sushi. 

It is a conveyor belt sushi where each plate cost JPY 137 (approximately SGD 1.80). 

The sushi was good, i.e. proportion of meat versus rice is generous (as compared to the ones found in Singapore). However, the amount of wasabi in each sushi is also very generous too. 

Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves and had a total of 19 plates of sushi. 

We have came across one of the things that we have always wanted to try - horse meat !

Although I always wanted to try the cooked version, we decided to give it a try and get this off our list. 

I have wanted thought that trying Parma Ham would equip me with the ability to try out raw meat, but I was soo wrong. 

The picture below is the horse meat sashimi. The horse meat was tough. I could not really taste the meat as there was a generous layer of ginger (I am not complaining!). The cream coloured sushi was the mane. It was much tougher as compared to the horse meat. 

Nevertheless, I am quite happy that I finally tried it!

I spoke to one of my Japanese colleague and I understand that horse meat is not that commonly found in Japan, especially in a conveyor belt. Guess we are lucky then as I have came across many similar conveyor belts restaurant in Osaka and Kyoto serving horse meat. 

Will I try horse meat again?

No. 

Will I come back again?

Sure, definitely. It is value for money although it is quite far from our hotel. 

Sabio

Sabio
5 Duxton Hill
Telephone: 66907562

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My colleagues brought me to this Spanish Tapas Bar for my "bachelorette party".

Tried a lot of interesting food. One of which is Jamon Iberico, which is a cured ham from the black iberian pig. 

Will I come again?

Ambiance is nice. However, the food is quite pricey (i.e. approximately $15 to $20 per tapas)

If you like to try many but small portion quality dishes, then this is the place to go to!

A nice place to meet up with several girl friends and spend the night chatting. 

Sangria (assortment of fruit stewed in a claret base mixed with soda water and sugar). 

Jamon Iberico

Kko Kko Nara

Kko Kko Nara
57 Tras Street

#01-01

Telephone: 62248186

Opening hours: 11am to 5pm / 5pm to 4am

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I am a constant craving for their chicken wings!

It is crispy and not too oily. 

You can opt for the 3 pcs per type (SGD 20) or 5 pcs per type (SGD 35) platter.

There are a few varieties to choose from:

1. Original, 
2. Garlic (marinated with garlic and soy) 
3. Sweet and spicy 
4. Hot & Spicy (marinated with Korean chilli sauce)

My favourite is (2). Not too spicy yet sweet. 

And it only comes in wings. 

For the rest, you could get other chicken parts, i.e. thighs, drumsticks etc. 

Will I come back again?

I will never get bored of their garlic chicken wings again. 

Pair this with one of the lunch sets (i.e. beef bulgogi - SGD 10) for a nice satisfying meal!