Yomenya Goemon (The Star Vista) | ThumbsForFood

Remember our previous review on Jamaica Blue in Star Vista? We also visited the Yomenya Goemon Spaghetti there! 

Yomenya Goemon is a chain of Japanese Pasta shop. So far, apart from Star Vista, I know that there is one in Citylink. Having heard that the pasta is good, we decided to give it a try.

The outlet at Star Vista is pretty small with some outdoor area and indoor seats. The restaurant design is kept modern and simple which somehow brings out it's theme of fusion. I like that their kitchen has glass panels for customers to peer in and see how the chef cooks. 

Interior and Kitchen

High ceilings that makes restaurant feel more spacious

We were attracted by their Standard Chartered Credit Card Promotion of $16 set meal (originally $19; inclusive of drink, salad and soup). It seems like a good deal. After that, we realized that the set meal with desserts ($21) seems to be more worth it as the desserts itself costs $6. If you would like to have desserts, the $21 meal seems to be a better option.

We decided to order a $16 meal and a $21 meal. The salad is really not bad. I like the dressing that is appetising and definitely made me feel more hungry!

Salad, Soup and Drink included in the set

We decided to try a pasta from the Japanese Pasta section since they are well-known for it. They also have Western-styled ones as well and we tried one pasta from the section too!

Duck Pasta, is from the Japanese Section. It was one of our choices as we read from a review that it was good. The taste of the pasta was infused with the aroma of duck. However, the ducks pieces were disappointing because they were too small and most of it was the skin of the duck rather than the meat. The pasta was well cooked in the sense that it wasn't to dry or bland and thus, it compensated the disappointing duck slices. I guess we wouldn't order this pasta in future, maybe try something else that has better ingredients.

Noodles that are cooked just nice

For Western-styled pasta, the Soup Spaghetti really caught my eye since I preferred wetter Spaghetti than dry ones! Mediterranean Tomato Cream Soup Spaghetti with Fresh Seafood was my choice since I am an avid Seafood lover. I got to say it is good! I really like that the seafood was fresh and it came with mussels, squid, prawn and clams! And the sauce, I really liked it. It is thick, yet when you eat it, you won't be sick of it. If you are a lover of seafood and wet pasta, you got to try this!

Wholesome seafood ingredients!

We ended off with Chocolate cake with ice cream. We were contemplating between this and the strawberry dessert. However, we were tempted by the chocolate one, so we chose it! It is NOT A LAVA CAKE. But, it is quite nice! I like the texture of the chocolate and appreciated that it was dark chocolate. The bitterness of the dark chocolate went well with the sweetness of the icecream and cream and the sourness of the strawberry. I think I would be so tempted to get the dessert set the next time I visit again!

I think that the Standard Chartered deal attracted the crowd. For it to flourish and open quite a few outlets in Singapore, it really has to have some substance and quality in food. And that's how I guess it managed to attract a pool of regulars. If you are craving for some spaghetti (not other types of pasta like linguini or fusilli), do consider trying Yomenya Goemon! It has other outlets in Singapore as well like Marina Bay Link Mall and Citylink. I heard there's one in 313 as well. 

As this is a chain of restaurant, please take note that there might be varying standards in other outlets.

Our Ratings: 8/10 (for it's value for money and wide variety)

Must Tries: Mediterranean Tomato Cream Soup Spaghetti with Fresh Seafood

FLOR Patisserie | ThumbsForFood

Yes, this cake shop has been attracting a lot of attention and so I decided to have a try at it! It is located at the Duxton Hill, with several other cafes by its side. However, I would say this is the most suitable if you are craving for some souffle cakes or simply some nice cakes! 

There is a wide variety to choose from. But, the shop is pretty small with 2 tables inside and 3 tables outside. I would not recommend this place for chilling and hanging out!

Earl Grey Choco $6.95. I like this! This cake has banana inside which adds on an unique taste altogether. The earl grey cream is also yummy. 

Napoleon $6.95. This isn't just the normal Napoleon cake you see outside. It is a strawberry-flavoured one which attracted me to it in the first place. Better than the normal Napoleon cake! 

And, they sell other pastries as well!

All in all, FLOR serves pretty unique cakes. Of course, I would definitely return for more cakes as I am a secret lover of fresh cream (yum!) cakes such as Strawberry Souffle. 

Other shops arounds the area:

Nylon Coffee Roasters

Parco Caffee at Raeburn Park

Two Blur Guys

Our ratings of FLOR: 7.8/10

Must-tries: Really depends on your own tastebuds!

FLOR Pattiserie

Duxton Hill
#01-01, 2 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089588

Phone: +65 6223 8628    

Business hours:
Monday to Saturday: 11am- 7pm
Sunday (Public Holidays):  11am- 6pm 

Cafe hours are from 11am - 6:00pm (Mondays to Saturdays) and 11am - 5pm (Sundays & Public Holiday).

Cheers,

Z

Arbite (Serangoon Gardens) | ThumbsForFood

Serangoon Gardens has many hidden treasures! One of them is the quite widely raved about Arbite! 

It is situated right above Guardian and beside Sushi Tei. It is not difficult to navigate there even if you don't drive because there are many buses that go into the Serangoon Garden Circus. 

Located just above Guardian

Make your way to the entrance of Arbite which is quite prominent with its signboards placed around the area! Climb the staircase and you'll find yourself in the restaurant.

You'll step into a simple yet sleek restaurant that gives off a cozy feeling with its white and brown furniture. You'll see that there is a signboard at the corner of the restaurant that explains what Arbite means, where they pride themselves for quality food and drink, warm service and fair prices.

Interior of Arbite

What Arbite stands for and the Specials of the day!

Classy White Minimalist-themed

Love the shelves with random displays 

We started our meal with some drinks. I ordered Cult beer ($14) purely out of curiosity. It is a seasonal Belgium beer and thus limited in stock. The beer pours out with a white bottle head and exudes an amber colour with orange hues. It is quite bitter to me as it's a pale ale. The have other beer choices such as the fruitier Lindemann and others priced around $12-$14.

Cult Beer ($14)

My friends ordered other drinks such as the Pompelmo ($3) - Pomegranate flavored and Banana Chocolate Milkshake ($6). The Pompelmo wasn't very special. Banana and Chocolate Milkshake was on the other hand sweeter and thicker. As you can see from the photo below, chocolate is added into the Banana Milkshake. As such, the taste of Chocolate did not overpower the Banana taste. If you're bringing kids, this drink could possibly be a favorite. 

Pompelmo ($3)

Banana Chocolate Milkshake ($6)

Now for the Mains!

The Green Tea Fettuccine with Smoked Duck ($24.90) was recommended by the waiter. It is quite unique as I have never tried Green Tea flavored pasta before. It is handmade by the chef from dough and infused with Green Tea Flavor. Really, it is quite tasty! The Green Tea taste was appropriate. It is best eaten when served hot. The Smoked Duck, to me tasted good. I really like it in relative to my friend who felt that it tasted like Ham. I felt that it was seasoned and cooked to perfection for the duck meat was not tough but, smooth and juicy.

I guess the portion was alright. For the price, my friends felt that it was on the steep side. For me, I felt that since it was homemade from scratch, it is rather reasonable. The unique Green Tea flavor was a plus point for me.

Green Tea Fettuccine ($24.90)

Next, Arbite Breakfast ($15). The portion is quite hearty. And it has variety! With mushrooms, bacon, tomato, greens, potato balls, bread, scrambled eggs and baked beans, it really is quite a wholesome meal. Taste wise, I must say there's really nothing out-of-the-ordinary. My favorite perhaps would be the potato balls. Other than that, nothing too special for the taste. $15 for the meal i think it's quite reasonable for it's portion and variety in relative to other Brunch places.

Arbite Breakfast ($15)

We ended off our meal with My Wife's Chocolate Cake ($8)! It came with a serving of Movepick's Icecream. The chocolate cake is not bad. But, I felt it would be better if it is served warmer in contrast to the cold scoop of icecream. I like the layer of Chocolate on top and on the side of the cake. It is also a bit on the dark chocolate side which really complements with the Ice-cream. However, I felt that the Ice-cream flavor could be more sweet and strong because it tasted quite bland. Give it a try if you like chocolate cakes!

My Wife's Chocolate Cake ($8)

Overall, the service was great as the staff were attentive to our needs. I like the cozy and warm ambience and would recommend it for friends' gatherings rather than a romantic dinner for 2. Arbite has a 1-for-1 set lunch for UOB Cardholders. With such good deal, I think I would come back for some lunch! And they do have takeaway service where you can call them to order and collect later!

My Ratings: 8/10

Must Tries: Green Tea Fettuccine 

Arbite

66 Serangoon Garden Way

Singapore 555962

www.arbite.com.sg

Opening hours:

Monday (Closed)

Tues to Fri: (Lunch) 11.30am-3pm (Dinner) 6pm-10.30pm

Sat to Sun: 11am-10.30pm

Last orders at 2.30pm and 9.45pm

Till next time,

Y

Jamaica Blue Cafe (The Star Vista) | ThumbsForFood

Having passed by The Star @ Buona Vista many times, we decided to visit the mall to hunt for new food places. 

We came across Jamaica Blue Cafe and was attracted by the warm ambience in the cafe. As you can see below, the cafe is rather small and cosy with warm lights and murals that make you feel like you're off for a getaway. It has an outdoor area where you can enjoy the cool night breeze.

Warm and Cosy Ambience

Jamaica Blue's Signboard

As the name suggests, it is a coffee chain that prides itself for serving fine and high quality coffee to its patrons. Jamaica Blue originated from Austrailia and has since made its ways to many other countries. I will talk about the type of coffee it serves in greater details below.

When we stepped into the cafe, what caught our eye was the rows of pastries and cakes that are arranged in their glass display. They have quite a variety of pies, quiche, cakes, brownies and such.

Prices Range from $5 onwards

Also, for those who prefer bread, croissants and scones, you will be glad to see these choices made available in store as well.  

Selection of bread and scones

Counter and Coffee Brewing Area

As we were rather full from dinner, we decided to try the Scones ($5.9). It comes in a pair and served with butter and jam. I feel that the texture of the scones is good. My friend liked it as well. However, it wasn't something out of the ordinary and we felt that for the portion, the price we paid was rather high.

Fluffy on the inside

Food variety wise, they do serve main courses as well ranging from $11 to $17 such as salad, pasta and feta fritters. They also serve handcrafted sandwiches and a variety of salads (about $12-$16). Besides that, for people who are fanatics of all day breakfast, they serve eggs cooked in whichever ways you like, either poached, scrambled or sunny side-up.

The highlight of the cafe would be its coffee where you can choose the Signature Blend or Blue Mountain Coffee made in different styles (Latte, Flat White, Espresso, e.t.c). Price ranges from $4 to $6 for Signature Blend and $8-$10 for Blue Mountain Coffee. Like us, you might be wondering what's the difference? Basically Signature Blend comes from 5 different areas and each coffee type has their own distinct characteristic while Blue Mountain Coffee comes from only 1 place. For more info, you can visit their website.

We tried their Signature blend White Vienna ($6.1). You can choose the regular or large cup with a difference of $0.60. We took the large cup. The coffee is aromatic and quite strong. I felt that somehow it tasted a little diluted. They recommend on the website that it is best served as an Espresso or Flat White. Maybe you could try that style instead. 

White Vienna 

Overall, peaceful ambience as it is not populated with people. This could be because Star Vista is newly opened. I feel that the place is good for chilling out after work! 

Our Rating: 6.8/10

Must Tries: Coffee

Jamaica Blue 

1, Vista Exchange Green 

#01-31 The Star Vista

Love, Y

Nylon Coffee Roasters (Everton Park) | ThumbsForFood

The Everton/Duxton/Outram area is full of hidden treasures. Nylon is a tiny coffee place tucked in a block of flats at Everton Park. It is just opposite Duxton @ The Pinnacle which makes it a perfect location for people to come and grab a cup of coffee.

Entrance to the cafe

As the name hints, the highlight of this cafe is the coffee roasted by this machines!

They have a very simple menu; just 10 items on it. In case you are wondering, they do not sell any food!

We tried the White and I like my coffee with milk, so I ordered the 7 oz cup! The price is very reasonable [$4]. Please take note that Nylon serves mainly takeout coffee because there are really limited seats inside the small cafe. To be exact, there are 4 seats inside and a bench outside. 

The very simple menu

7oz white

If you are working around this area, why not drop by and grab a cup of coffee? I would definitely return for more coffee!

Looking for more food places to occupy your weekends? Check out Parco Caffe & Flor Patisserie around Nylon too!

Nylon Coffee Roasters

4 Everton Park #01-40

Singapore 080004

 

Opening hours:

Weekdays: 8.30am to 5.30pm
Weekends: 9am to 6pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Cheers,

Z

Parco Caffe (Raeburn Park) | ThumbsForFood

Well, it has been long since I went hunting for a nice brunch place so here I am! I chose this place because of high ratings from my sister and also because it is a rather new place for brunch. It is hidden in Raeburn Park (I really like the name of the park!), just behind the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. The nearest mrt would be Outram, but I would advise you to check out the buses instead if you are not a fan of walking!

To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised when we realized that the cafe was pretty much empty. For once, we did not have to squeeze with the Saturday-brunch-crowd. The place is beautifully decorated, in addition to the peaceful environment it is nested in. This makes a perfect place for you to hide out with a few friends or family over brunch. No worries about having to give up your seat. 

Portobello $23. Well, my friends and I were trying to fathom the significance of the name of the dish. Apparently, there was not much significance. Other than the surprising small portobellos which made us a little upset, I would say I enjoyed this. I also love the idea of Baked Sweet Potato with sour cream! However, we felt that this is not something exceptionally unique and different from other brunch cafes.

Banana & Nutella Waffles $12. This is my favourite dish out of the 3! The whipped cream with pistachio nuts went really well with the bananas and waffles with nutella spread. It would be more fabulous if they could be a little more generous with their nutella spread. 

Foie Gras & Wild Mushroom $21. Well, I always felt that bennys were an essential part of brunch. Over at Parco, they have a few unique selections of bennys so we decided to place our stake on the Foie Gras Bennys which was recommended by the waiter. If you are a Foie Gras lover, this is the dish for you. 

For me, I still think the best bennys are the original bennys with poached eggs and ham. 

One more thing to share with you: There is a small gate that you can walk in from the Spottiswoode Park Estate. We were so happy to discover this little gate which led us to more discoveries along Everton Road and Duxton Hill. Several other places that you might want to try out around this area are Nylon Coffee Roasters, FLOR Pâtisserie and the Grim Affair! 

All in all, we felt that Parco serves pretty decent brunch and has a nice ambience. However, the location of the cafe would be a deterrence for me unless I am driving in! 

Lastly, there is free wifi at Parco for people who might want to tap on their wifi while at brunch.

Our ratings of Parco Caffe: 7/10

Must-tries: Banana & Nutella Waffles

Parco Caffè @ Raeburn Park
10 Raeburn Park #01-28
Singapore 088702

Tel: +65 6223 6338
Fax: +65 6223 4338

Love,
Z

Hong Kong Zhai Dim Sum (Bedok) | ThumbsForFood

Where to find tasty dimsum that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket? 

There's one such place in Bedok North. The place is a chain opened by a chef that has won many culinary awards. According to my understanding, the chef is from Malaysia. They do have another branch at Ang Mo Kio as well. They also do catering and delivery. For more details, you can visit their website. 

Having said that, the dimsum is really good in quality and does not taste like it is being manufactured from a factory. The ingredients are fresh which make the dim sum tasty and delicious. It is located in a coffeeshop and there is a counter in front of the stall where you can place your orders and pay.

Here are some dim sum that I tried. They do have quite a variety of different buns and dimsum. I would definitely be back to try more and update the post again!

Glutinous Rice (Lo Mai Kai) ($2), is surprisingly good. It is a simple dimsum dish yet, I feel that the rice is tasty and it does not taste like it was removed from the freezer and re-steamed. The ingredients are also fresh, especially the mushroom was juicy.

Chee Cheong Fun Prawn ($3), was good too. The prawns was generous and line the skin. What we like was also that the skin was thing and smooth. The gravy wasn't too salty and overpowering. In fact, it complemented the Chee Cheong Fun well. 

Beancurd Roll (Xian Zhu Juan) ($3) is my favorite MUST ORDER dimsum from there. The fillings of the beancurd roll is just so generous and tasty. There is water chestnut that makes the texture great, prawns and meat. When served hot, it is just amazing to sink your teeth in. But be careful, when it is hot, the juice will flow and might burn your tongue.

Carrot Cake ($3) is alright.It is simple and when served hot is a great dish. However, I feel that some sauce can be added to complement the dish so that it will not be too bland.

All in all, I feel that is value for money. The dimsum is prepared upon order, so be prepared to wait for at least 10 minutes for your food to be served and longer when there's a crowd. The good point is that you don't have to pay gst and service charge, yet you get good quality dimsum in the neighborhood. For the quality, I will definitely be back! 

Our Rating: 7.5/10

Must Tries: Beancurd Roll

Blk 418 Bedok North Ave 2

#01-97

Opens daily except Mondays (unless Public Holiday)

7am-3pm

http://www.hongkongzhai.com/about.html

Love,

Y