Pietro Ristorante Italiano

With a name like that, one will expect a restaurant helmed by an authentic Italian. But no, instead there is a home grown Chinese chef behind the kitchen and not just an ordinary Chinese chef but a celebrity Chef at that!

Chef Neo must be so confident of his cooking that not only did he choose to do Italian dishes but he set up the place in the most ulu of places at a teeny weeny little road in Yio Chu Kang that is so off the beaten track that I had to use my gps to get to the place. And his confidence show in some of the unusual items he has on his menu.

For starter,  we ordered the Funghi Portobello which is fresh portobello mushroom baked with crab meat, ebiko and prawn finished with rich gorgonzola sauce.

M wasn't really that hungy so she ordered the Zuppa di Mare which is actually a Seafood Soup concocted with prawn, clams, mussels, squids in spicy tomato sauce, white wine, basil leaves. She said it tasted like tom yam soup.

I had the Spaghetti alle Vongole which came with lots and lots of fresh clams. I must admit that this is one of the best spaghetti I tasted.

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The kid ordered something that looks like a cross between the Hakka abacus seed and Chinese la-mian. Didn't get the name and can't find the item on the online menu.

We found out later that the chef made everything ie the pasta and dough from scratch. I enjoyed the meal especially the Spaghetti alle Vongole although I felt the price was a bit on the high side because of the portion size but then again that is the way most Italian food place priced themselves.

Overall, this is a nice place to go to for a quiet dinner. There is live music, nice decor in a rather romantic setting with a picture of a Venice canal.  Very suitable for impressing a date.

Prego

I heard of Prego for many many years. But I just didn't feel like paying big bucks to eat pasta and pizza when I can have the same at much lower price. But I was curious to know how it survive for so many years when a lot of other places had came and went so finally we made a trip down.

It was a mid week lunch time and we didn't make any reservation. I didn't expect the place to be full. After all, I passed by a few time and the place look very big. But I was wrong. It was fully booked! The apologetic staff asked whether we mind sitting at the high chair area. So okay we thought we gave it a try. We quite like the view from the high chair so when the staff came and told us there was a cancellation and she could move us to a proper table, we decline the offer and choose to sit where we were. And so we managed to take this photo of the place.

I like the setup very much. There was a big long bar counter and an antipasti bar. And many many tables all of which were occupied. The food has to be good!

The cheapskate trio of us ordered a soup, a salad, a mixed platter of meat and 2 pasta. That was it. But it didn't come cheap though. These 4 items set me back by $150.00. I could have the same thing at a hawker centre for a fraction of that but of course it was the atmosphere and the Italian cook's (I think) skill that we were paying for. And the super polite and friendly service. Service incidentally was a bit slow - I guess maybe due to the crowd.

The platter of mixed meat comprising 3 different type of cured meat. I must say I like the Parma ham very much.

This is the Paccheri which is actually lobster meat in some sort of tomato sauce. The kid had this though so I didn't know whether it was good.

I had the Fusilli which was crab meat, asparagus in seafood sauce with Basil. Which remind me that I don't like the strong taste of Basil leaves. I didn't finish this dish.

M had the soup (sorry no photo - a soup is a soup nothing great to look at) and this interesing salad. Misto alla Griglia - eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum, walnut and rocket salad. Very unusual and interesting combination.

Overall I like the place especially the service. But I think I won't be back any time soon. There are places where I can have the same thing for much lesser but if anybody want to impress a date over a causal lunch or dinner - this is probably the place to do it without being very formal.

Food in Kota Kinabalu

Was in Kota Kinabalu a few weeks back and had a great time eating the local street food. We stayed in the Gaya area and there was absolutely the best food around. We went with the flow and ate mostly at the crowded shops although we did dine at some of the not so crowded and we immediately knew why they were not crowded!

Our first stop was dinner at this Bak Kut Teh place. The place was absolutely swamped with people from the minute it opened in the afternoon till it close at night.

This is the typical Malaysia style bak kut teh and comes with all sort of side dishes like pork ball, intestines, livers, stomach etc

Next up was breakfast at this place just across the road from the Bak Ku Teh store. There were 2 stalls inside the coffee shop, one selling Sarawak kolo mee and the other Sarawak style laksa. The kolo mee was the more popular stall. But I thought the laksa was not too bad too.

Kolo mee

Laksa

On the way back from race pack collection, we had lunch at this place that one of the guys recommended. The place was crowded and hot. There were many people ordering the noodles from one of the stall within but we went for the fried noodle stall and sadly the food were so so. Dinner was zhi char food at a shop next to our hotel but it was just passable and so all these shall not get a mention here. 

Breakfast on Sunday was at a dim sum shop. We had dim sum and noodle but these were normal and nothing to rave about. 

The only reason the dim sum shop get a mention and a picture here is that they used those 3-in-1 packet for the teh tarik that we ordered! Either they must be darned proud of their Sabah produced 3-in-1 tea or that is the way tea and coffee are made in the country but I don't really fancy those commercially produce tea.

For lunch we went to what must be the most famous Western food outlet in town, Little Italy! See we are kinda  weird, we do our carbo loading after the race and not before! Our party had pizza, pasta, salad the usual Italian stuff. Was the food really that good? I guess if there is a scarcity of such food in the country, it will be considered good and of course we wolfed down the food but frankly I think there are better pizza and pasta back home.

Recipes Restaurant by Shatec

Been passing  by this place for some time on my way to Running Lab for the night run. Most time it looks deserted. But my curiosity was piqued. And I wanted to try the food they served but the place looks a bit atas and I didn't think it was appropriate to dine there in tees and shorts after our run. The odour of the lingering sweat will surely drive whatever customers they have away!

But the chance came recently when I was at Funan to get something. For dinner, we decided to pop over and try out the food. Finally!

The menu was so simple. There was only 1 item – a set dinner at $25++ which comes with a choice of starters (out of 2 items); a choice of mains (out of 3), a drink and a dessert (choice of whatever pastries or cakes that is available). We opted for 1 of each so that we could savor the different versions.

For the starters, we had the Vegetable Chowder soup and the Salmon salad. We switched dish halfway through so that we could have the best of both worlds. Serving portion was reasonable and quality acceptable. Credit must be given for the tastefully displayed salad.

For the mains, M opted for the roast chicken which came with baked potatoes and some vegetables. I went for the Alfredo pasta with roast chicken.

Generally, the roast chicken was of decent standard. Actually I don’t think they can go wrong with that considering that even the supermarkets can produce decent roast chickens nowadays. Unfortunately, the pasta was rather bland and I had to add salt to add flavor to it.

Dessert for us was a mango cake and chocolate cake. This was baked by students who are on the verge of moving over to hotels for their next stage of training. While the cake didn't look as nice and nifty as those in the more high class cake shop and bakery, they were reasonably good and I had no complaints with them.

Overall, the service was immaculate. From the minute we stepped in till we left, we were waited upon by a pair of very attentive and friendly staff. Plates were cleared promptly, water was refilled at regular interval and the food was served at a decent pace.

Shatec’s  Recipes  restaurant was set up for its hospitality and culinary students to get real life experience and I must say they have trained the students well. Service was excellent overall, at S$25.00 per person, it is worth a visit with a date for some nice quiet time and dinner.

Ochre Italian Restaurant

On my third forage in as many month, we went to Ochre Italian Restaurant at the Orchard Central. It was the occasion of the Princess' birthday.

Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about going there. The review on the web all pointed to poor service. There was also some sort of dress code for dining indoor and I wasn't sure the Princess will want to deviate from her usual wardrobe of shorts and sandals. But in the end, encouraged by the thought of a 50% discount on the meal thanks to some UOB vouchers, we decided to go anyway.

Now my dining at Italian restaurant has mainly been confined to pasta and pizza since I don't know nuts about the Italian language and don't understand half of what are written in the menu. I am always reminded of a scene in the Mr Bean's movie when he pointed at the menu and ended up with some weird food. That was a French restaurant but its all the same to me anyway.

Anyway, our fears were unfounded. The service was excellent and the waitress even helped us to take a group photo. The waiter was kind enough to help us to order, food were served promptly in the correct order and the water was replenished regularly.

For the record, we had the Burrata which was highly recommended by everybody on the web. This is some sort of cheese coated salad with tomato over the Parma ham. I must admit this is really shiok especially the ham.

Then we had another appetizer (they called it antipasti) which was recommended by the waiter, a plate of all sort of mixed items comprising of parma ham, caviar on the octopus, mushroom, smoked salmon, honey melon and some "grass". I must said the smoked salmon and the ham were excellent.

For the main, we played safe hoping not to over order and had a pizza to share while the Kid had the Hereford Beef and the Princess had the set meal.

The set meal came with a soup and a desert and cost $55.00, Can't remember what exactly it is but it wasn't too bad. Veal, mushroom and some cheese base.

M had a pasta called the Cappelini Scallop which was pasta cooked aglio style topped with scallop. I loves pasta and this was good. Just the right amount of spiciness and generous serving of scallops.

To round off the meal, I ordered another desert of Hot Chocolate cake which was just heavenly.

The Princess' dessert looks prettier though. Some fruit thingy.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal. We didn't over-order this time round, there was a well balanced selection of food unlike our experience at Salta where it was all meat. Will I go again? Unfortunately, stingy me won't pay too much for a meal and unless there is really some great promotion or another round of voucher from UOB or another credit card company, I don't think I will go again.

The Rotisserie

Got to put something out about this place before they expand until it is all over town and as common as Pastamania.

The Rotisserie is a place where they serves mainly roasted food. It is actually a mix between a fast food joint and a slightly atas restaurant. One place the order at the cashier, walk over to the serving counter and collect the food. No wait staff to serve at the table.

There are limited options like roasted chicken chicken or the mean fried pork knuckle; pork ribs and sausages. Prices ranges between $10.00 to $26.00 for main course. Each main comes with 2 sides. Unfortunately, they don't allow a mixture of cold and hot sides.

Roast chicken joint with potatoes and pasta

Roasted half chicken with rocket salad and pasta

Pork Knuckle with pasta and salad

Food is nothing to shout about but at its price, it is quite value for money. Easy, convenient and fast to go. Foresee more outlets opening all over. Already there are 3 outlets in town with one more opening soon at OCBC Centre.

WaWaWa Bistro By The Bedok Reservoir

Earth Hour. So we went out for a candle light dinner at this bistro at Bedok Reservoir. The place has opened for some time and we haven't found the occasion to try out the food until now. 

First impression- we like the ambience. It was mainly blue lighting just perfect for some romantic time together. Unfortunately, the experience was spoilt by the Gold 90.5 FM radio music blasting too loudly. It wouldn't have been too bad if the sound system was okay but the FM reception was bad and there were a lot of static which jars the ear too much. Hopefully they will fix that soon.

The restaurant was divided into an indoor and outdoor area. We sat outside. It was rather breezy that night and very cooling. Thankfully, the famous midge of Bedok Reservoir did not make an appearance. Or maybe it was too dark for us to notice?

The prices wasn't that cheap so we just ordered drinks and the main course. The fruit "juice" was more like those from drink carton and not freshly squeezed juice and cost $6.00 each. But that was still  cheap compared to paying $2.00 for a bottle of water. They don't serve free water here. So we ended up with 2 "juice".

For the meal, I had the Prawn and Mushroom Aglio Olio. Portion was rather small considering that it cost $18.90. But taste wise, it wasn't too bad and I enjoyed it.

M had one of their specialties the Cajun Chicken which came with a big juicy tomato and whipped potato. Again the portion wasn't too big. But it more than made up for the quantity by its quality. I of course managed to sneak in a few bites and I think the whipped potato got whipped pretty well:( and the Cajun chicken was done to perfection. 

There was a facebook promotion and we had to like the place on FB to get a free scoop of ice cream, which we did. So that kinda make up for the rather pricey food. 

Recommended for those who wants a nice romantic night out, dinner by the water. This is about the closest one can get without having salt and sand flying into your face and food. Not recommended for runners who just want a drink after their run. Cheaper to get it from the vending machine.

Tanjong Katong

Tanjong Katong Road after Dunman Road in the direction of East Coast Road was supposed to receive a new lease of life and become just as popular as its more illustrious cousins East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road but somehow along the way, it ended up a bit lost I think.

Like the other 2 streets, it comprises mainly food outlet but there are many more coffeeshops and food courts and a sprinkling of dedicated food outlets including a Donut Empire, Punggol Nasi Lemak, 3 pizza outlets (Pizza Hut, Dominoes & Canadian).

In the day, the place is bustling with students from the schools nearby but at night, it is a tad quiet with hardly any pedestrians.

I like this English looking condominium. It always reminds me of those houses in Hugh Grant's movies like Notting Hill; Love Actually and Bridget Jones.





There is this supermarket which boast of premium foodstuff but comes with a weird name. Do they think beggar can afford to buy the stuff there?





We wanted to have dinner at this nice cozy looking place with this interesting name but unfortunately it was closed for a private function. The food should be pretty good judging from the number of newspaper articles on its door.

Instead, we went to this 3 months old French Pizza joint, VIPizz.

We ordered a cream based smoked salmon pizza and a spicy meat tomatoes based pizza. I believe the pizza were prepared by a French guy in the kitchen. I hope it stayed open long enough though cos at 7.30 pm, we were the only customers there which was kinda a shame cos the pizza wasn't half bad - certainly much better than Pizza hut!






After the pizza, we went over to this ice cream outlet very seductively called 'Lick'. The place was pretty busy with customers walking in and out.

We order 4 different flavour of ice cream, strawberry for M; water melon for the Princess and Earl Grey/Kaya Toast for myself. I love the kaya toast best. Not too sweet and not too overwhelming in favour. Price was $3.20 a scope. I think I'll be back for more.

There were a Korean restaurant which looks rather good but we got all excited later when we passed a Japanese restaurant offering ala carte buffet.

We'll be back!

Pasta de Waraku

Call me suaku or what. Finally after so long, went to one of the popular Pasta de Waraku outlet for dinner on Saturday night.

Have heard about it, read about it and yet to not set foot in it for so long considering its fame is a big sin in gluttoney!

Anyway,I ordered 1 Waruku original Chicken Teriyaki with baked cheese Fettucine, M had the curry rice, Alicia had the set meal that comes with a plate of pasta and a small pizza and Alvin had the best of the whole lot - baked lobster pasta.

So how was the food? Actually probably more hype than what it was made out to be. Pretty decent portion, food presentation good, service prompt and attentive and taste.... okay not to bad but not something that I will queue up for or die die must eat. (picture coming up - just as soon as can find them to download from the phone camera) Each dish (single portion) is priced at around $12.80 to $18.80 so I supposed we are paying for the ambience as well.

But why must the serving staff keep shouting out loud their Japanese greetings. It is fine if they do it quietly but they shout it out loud to every tom dick and harry who walks in or out and the whole place is so noisy. If they are trying to imitate the Japanese, the Management should fly out to Japan and see how it is down over there. Politely, gently and softly and not like these people here so 'chorlor'.