An Annual Report on a Soup Spoon Meal...

2/07/09, Thursday - A year ago, my friend, Ivy and I had a slightly unpleasant meal at Soup Spoon at Raffles City. Perhaps, it was the meal I had or the place which was packed almost every other day. I'm not sure. So we went back again and one year on, things had definitely changed.

The place was packed as usual and we had to stand besides a nearly empty table but with two people still chatting away and who were oblivious of our presence. However, the two people were gracious to leave the table for us to have our dinner.

This time round, I didn't order the Velvety Mushroom Stroganoff which obviously resembles a face mask after quite some time. Instead, I ordered a regular bowl of Beef Goulash (S$10.80) and since I ordered the SouperValue Combo Meal which consists of two sides, I chose a Chicken Tikka Wrap and a glass of Homemade Iced Lemon Tea which comes free with the meal.

The Beef Goulash was really nice and hearty. The beef cubes were soft and chewy. The staff asked me if I wanted a scoop of sour cream in my soup and I agreed. The combination between the tomato-based soup and the sour cream worked really well. There were even bits of potato, carrots, celery, celery and etc swimming in the soup. Yum. of course, I polished the soup off my bowl.

Ivy ordered a plate of Spicy Herby Cheesy Potato Wedges (S$3.60) as an additional dish for the both of us.

Well, other than the mushroom soup, I would definitely come back and try the rest of the soups, perhaps, another time.

Steamboat at House of Steamboat

23/03/09, Monday - I had a steamboat dinner with the 5ofus at House of Steamboat which is situated at Tan Quee Lan Street (yes, it's along the same stretch of shophouse that has other steamboat eatery, including Tian Tian Steamboat). Initially, Gin wanted to have dinner at Cuppage Road, however, that Japanese eatery was closed on that day. Alternatively, we had steamboat.

Prior to that, I had vegetarian meal for lunch with my classmates and I was wondering if my stomach had some space left for a round of steamboat. And as one know that steamboat is pretty much a eat-all-you-can buffet and surely, anyone wants to maximize their dollars. So I tried my best to eat whatever I could.

When I went to the place, I was already late. I was flustered of what to do in the eatery when Ellie, Cheryl and Gin had started on their meal. I went to pick whatever I had taken a fancy to, which includes my all-time favourites, fishball, and the other food.

There were two choices of soup: the ever-popular Spicy (Ma La) Soup and Ginseng Chicken Herbal Soup.

Here is the thing. I was really eager to try the soup and so I scooped the Ma La soup into my small bowl. As a result of my eagerness, I gulped the spicy soup down my throat, thinking it was Tom Yum Soup. How interesting you may say. Not long after, I found myself choking and coughing due to the chilli seeds which might have stuck onto my esophagus. I was coughing so badly that tears began to roll down my cheeks. Cheryl was stunned and I guess everyone on the table and other tables were looking at this flustered girl coughing and choking. I immediately ordered an iced water to clear my throat. Lesson learnt, never ever be too greedy. :D

We get to choose whatever we feel like putting into those two soup base. Food ranging from seafood - crabs, prawns, cockles, crabmeat, fishballs and sliced fish. I must say the sliced fish was really good. I think they used dory fish.

We had a couple of servings of sliced fish. Then there were some meats, which are Gin's all-time favourite, sliced beef, pork and chicken. I didn't really try the meat though I did fish out some meats onto my plate. There were also other food such as corns, shredded yams, straw mushrooms.

Towards the end of the meal, the server gave us a plate of deep-fried mantou and from my first instinct, I recalled not ordering of such food. Little did I know that, it's actually a complimentary dish from the eatery as according to Gin. I tried two of those and it was really sweet and yummy.

Minutes later, Zoe entered into the eatery and surprised Cheryl with two slices of cakes - a heart-shaped strawberry chocolate cake and a strawberry shortcake.

We really had a fun-filled time catching up over a meal of steamboat and the meal was really good. Each of us paid about S$17.90 at the end of the meal. I may come back to try their steamboat again.

An Advance Birthday Treat at Fish and Co.

I am not kidding. I have not been to Fish and Co. - one of the hot favourites eateries with the yuppies and young people - until last Wednesday. You see, on Wednesday, Zoe and Ellie celebrated my birthday in advance at Fish and Co.@The Glass House as I have requested. Sadly, Gin and Cheryl wasn't around for the dinner if not, it would be so much fun! Thinking of that, I miss them!

Anyway, my other friends told me that the common food which people would ordered whenever they dined at Fish and Co. is Seafood Platter for Two (S$37.90). Nevertheless, I still studied the menu carefully before I start ordering the food. As Ellie and I were famished (we actually skipped our lunch just for this meal!), we almost wanted to eat everything that is on the menu. Hah!

Zoe told us that the Seafood Platter for Two can be shared among three people or more because the portion is really big. True enough, when the platter finally arrived, it was huge. But prior to that, I order Soup of the Day - Fish Chowder (S$3.90).

The Fish Chowder surprised me as there were chunks of dory fillets, carrots, onions and etc. in the creamy soup. Yummy!

The Seafood Platter for Two consists of an assortments of seafood, together with French Fries, sprinkled with Cajun Powder and Butter and Raisin Rice. They even drizzled a little of their signature sauce, Garlic Butter Cream Sauce.

I quite like the big chunky fries which has the Cajun Powder on it. The Pan-fried Fish Dory Fillet wasn't too bad; the texture of the meat was soft and tender. I didn't really like the Grilled Prawns as it wasn't really fantastic at all. But I like the way how the Squids (Sotong) were cooked. It was soft and it didn't take very long before the squid slid through my throat, unlike some places where the Squids are as hard as a stone. Ellie and I gave all the mussels to Zoe as the both of us don't take mussels at all.

The Pan-Fried Fish Dory Fillet

The Grilled Prawns

The Squids (Sotong)

The Mussels

Ellie was afraid that we didn't have enough to eat so she ordered New York Fish and Chips (S$15.90) for us to share.

The batter for Fish and Chips was pretty heavy; it was more salty than the usual fish and chips and moreover, the Lemon Butter Sauce which was on top of the fish made it even heavier and rich. But I must say that the fish was cooked it its perfection.

As for dessert, Zoe and Ellie made me choose a cake for which I chose Dulce De Leche Colossal - a cheesecake toppled with Caramel Sauce (S$6.95).

It was sweet of them to put a candle on top of the cake slice and sang a birthday song for me. Thanks gals! As a result of all the heavy and rich main course we had, we had a hard time finishing the cake. In fact, we took a long time to polish off the cake from the plate.

In order to ease our heavy stomach, we took a long walk along the streets of Orchard Road under the night breeze and colourful Christmas glittering lights.

Waffle, Soup and Cakes!

On Tuesday, I had Gelare Ice Cream Waffle (S$6.90) at Far East Plaza. Basically I was there for two reasons: one, the FA gathering and two, 1/2 price freshly baked waffles. That's why we were all hooked on the freshly baked waffles especially on Tuesdays where all waffles are reduced to half-priced. Yippee! Unfortunately, not many people turned up for the gathering. Subsequently, only Ivy turned up.

I choose Strawberry Flavoured Ice Cream, Fresh Cream and a drizzle of maple syrup on my pippin hot waffle. As Ivy was filled up with her buffet lunch which she had before meeting me, I ended up eating the waffle alone. But I ended up finishing three quarter of the waffle because it was too filling especially the butter batter. As for the remaining one quarter, I left it together with the half eaten melted ice cream. But it was worth it for a full waffle and with ice cream as well. On normal days, it cost more than $10.

After lunch, we went to Opera Gallery at Takashimaya to get our fix on art and culture. As my next appointment begins at 7pm, we decided to catch a movie, Dark Knight. I may not be a movie critic (which is why I am Munchie The Foodie) but I must say, that was one of the best Batman movies I ever watched so far. The storytelling and the cinematography were fantastic! I can't help being in awed by it.

In the evening, I met up with Jean and Sylvy - two of Charlene's good friends - at Cedele Bakery Depot@Wheelock Place to celebrate Charlene's birthday. As it was my first time dining at Cedele, I studied the menu properly as my mind ruminated about what I should eat since the restaurant promotes healthy eating.

In the end, I ordered Spiced Chicken Stew (S$10.90) and it came with free flow supply of fresh bread. The clear soup consists of chunks of chicken meat, carrots, radish, potatoes, croutons and lots of spices. Quite tasty actually.

However I need to cut the bread on my own accord because the wait staff don't serve bread with the soup together. As the place was pretty dim and there wasn't any indication of all the breads, I surmised I choose Rye Sourdough. I spread the provided butter on the bread and it was pretty good. Yet I only ate one slice.

After the dinner, we went across the street to PS Cafe@Palais for some hardcore desserts. Since I have not been to PS cafe either at Dempsey Road or Paragon, it was definitely an eye-opener for me. The interior of the cafe alone is really posh and beautifully decorated. The atmosphere was amicable. I have not been to a cafe that is close to that. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos of the cafe's interior. Darn! As a result, we can only take pictures on things that are lay on our table.

The wait staff gave us two choices of dining: one, inside the cafe or two, alfresco dinning. Charlene choose alfresco dining. Initially I thought it would be warm or stuffy but surprisingly, it was pretty breezy.

Now, the thing you have been waiting for: desserts! Since PS Cafe is famed for their smorgasbord of cakes, it came with the price too. We choose different cakes to try.

Jean ordered Sweet N Sour Lemon Pie (S$12). It tasted absolutely sweet and sour! One of the best lemon pies I have ever tasted so far.

Sylvy ordered Chocolate Crunch Doorstop (S$15.90). Very chocolately and after a while, one can be put off by all the richness of the chocolate. There was a hint of walnuts and some other nuts in the chocolate cake. Not forgetting, the cake is topped with a few Maltese Chocolates. More chocolates!

Charlene and I shared Coconut Bakewell Tart (S$12). I love the tart's crust! The tart actually tastes like the usual coconut tart which one can find in any bakery but for this tart, the coconut just melt in your mouth and it doesn't leave any unpleasant coconut shreds in one's throat.

My plate of everything.

To accompany my dessert, I had Earl Grey Tea (S$5) instead of my usual diet of coffee. I decided to change for the evening. It comes in a pot and a strainer. Because I have not drink tea in such practices, I had to ask Charlene what the strainer was for and she said it was to put over my cup and pour the tea through the provided strainer.

The cafe even provides cube sugar: white and brown cube sugar.

But oh my goodness, the tea was fantastic! I felt the calmness after I had the first sip of my Earl Grey Tea.

So throughout the night, we had a wonderful conversation over teas and cakes. Then all of the sudden, we had a funny conversation:

Me: (after seeing two Maltese chocolates swimming on Sylvy's plate) I love eating those balls!

Charlene: Hmm... You love balls?

Me: (giggling) No.. I meant those Maltese chocolate balls.


Gelare @ Far East Plaza Level One is located at Far East Plaza, #01-23, 14 Scotts Road. There are other outlets located islandwide as well.

Cedele Bakery Depot is located at Wheelock Place, #03-14, 501 Orchard Road. There are other outlets located islandwide as well.

PS Cafe @ Palais is located at Palais Renaissance Shopping Centre, Level 2, 390 Orchard Road. Next to Thai Embassy. There are other outlets located islandwide as well.