Monday, November 25, 2013

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

  • ==================================

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 ~





Wednesday, November 6, 2013

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

===========================================

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. 

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%)