Lei Garden Restaurant, Chijmes

We were scouting for value for money set lunches on a weekday when we took the day off, and we finally settled for Lei Garden Resturant at Chijmes for the sole purposes of its solid air conditioning and grand interior compared to its outdoor fan-based counterparts.

Spacious interior that makes a good relaxing place to go for lunch



Table set up



Cucumber with Mince Garlic and Vinegar

The first starter that came up was the Cucumber with Mince Garlic and Vinegar. I would have liked it to be a little more sour or spicy as an appetiser, the dish was passable.


Crispy Silver Fish

The Crispy Silver Fish was hardly impressive as it was rather bland as a fried dish, and the taste of oil stood out starkly as the batter to fish ratio was disproportionate, tipping more towards the former.


Classic Boiled Daily Soup

The Classic Boiled Daily Soup was the Lotus with Pork Ribs soup. We were surprised to find generous chunks of pork ribs and slices of lotus in the soup. The broth was rich and very flavoursome, definitely a thumbs up for this one.


Steamed Live Bamboo Clam with XO Chilli Sauce

The Steamed Live Bamboo Clam with XO Chilli Sauce was another winner as the XO chili sauce complemented the bamboo clam succinctly.


Panfried Cod Fish with White Sauce

The panfried Cod fish was coated with a layer of batter and then panfried and drizzled with white sauce. The fish was crisp on the outside and its flesh was fresh and moist on the inside. I thought the dish was pretty well executed.



Panfried Kurobuta pork in special sauce, served with seasonal vegetable

The Panfried Kurobuta pork was splendid with its full-flavoured special sauce and the meat was moist and tender.


Seasonal Vegetables

The dish was served with seasonal vegetables that complemented the Kurobuta pork with its light preparation methods. The vegetables were blanched and aid to cleanse the palatte after the heavy pork dish.



Mini Minced Pork Dumpling in Hot and Spicy Sauce

The Mini Minced Pork Dumpling in Hot and Spicy Sauce was served with the sauce separate. I would have liked the sauce to be more spicy, but I found the dumplings very well made. The skin was smooth with tasty pork fillings, and I finished them despite almost bursting from a very full stomach.


                                                              Double Boiled Dry Apricot and Sea Coconut

After a heavy meal, we were delighted to finish our meal with the Double Boiled Dry Apricot and Sea Coconut. A light yet satisfying dessert, the sweetness of the soup was derived from boiling the apricots and it was wonderfully refreshing.

I'd say, a good place to bring your family or business counterparts for meals.

Lei Garden Restaurant
Address: 30 Victoria Street, #01-24 Chijmes, Singapore

Tel: +65 6339 3822

Royal China, Raffles Hotel

Royal China has two seatings for lunch, 11.30am and 1.30pm. We were surprised to find the place still closed when we arrived at around 11.25am. Apparently, the restaurant opens at 11.30am sharp, so don't bother going too early if you have made reservations for the first seating.



Steamed Glutinous Rice wrapped in Lotus leaf
$5.50

The steamed glutinous rice was soft, moist and flavorful. It was gone before I could have a second look at it.




Steamed Bun with Salted Egg Yolk and Fresh Mango Juice
$4.80

The delicate buns explode with a burst of salty-sweet medley once you break open it's soft exterior, and it can get messy if you are not careful. This dish is a must have!



Pan-fried Beancurd Skin Roll stuffed with Minced Prawn
$5.60

Crisp beancurd skin with minced prawn that went well with the sauce at the side.



Deep-fried Mango Roll with Seaweed
$5.40

The deep-fried mango rolls were not spectacular and would probably resemble your typical fried spring rolls if not for the dollop of mango inside.


Barbecued Pork Cheung Fun
Royal China Special Cheung Fun
$5.60

The Cheung Fun at Royal China was stellar with its silky smooth rice sheets layered with savories like barbecued pork, scallops and prawns. Go for the Royal China Special Cheung Fun that gives you a mixture of ingredients. This dish was the first to be wiped out at the table.



Steamed Dumpling with Vegetable and Wild Mushroom
$5.40

I liked the unique texture of this dish, I thought the chestnut-like bits added a very good crunch to the wholesome dumplings.



Deep-fried Yam Puff with Scallop in Portuguese Sauce
$5.60

The deep-fried yam puffs proved to be interesting with its unique portuguese sauce. Definitely a must order if you love yam.


Steamed Minced Pork Dumpling with Wolfberry
$5.60

I liked their rendition of siew mai with hearty pieces of pork and shrimp and topped with a sweet wolfberry.


Steamed Prawn Dumpling
$5.60

Steamed prawn dumplings were decent, nothing too outstanding.



Sliced Fish and Conpoy Congee
$7.80

Nothing beats having a bowl of comfort food to go with your dim sum.

The desserts were mediocre and not memorable. Not worth the price if you ask me.



Chinese Herbal Jelly with Pearl Powder
$8



Chilled Japanese Pumpkin Puree with Black Glutinous Rice in Coconut Ice Cream
$9

Royal China is a good place for dim sum, but skip the desserts.

Royal China
1 Beach Road, #03-09 Raffles Hotel, Singapore
Tel: +65 6338 3363

Food for Thought, 8 Queen Street

It was no surprise to find Food For Thought completely full on a Friday night, and fortunately we made prior reservations for a big group of eight for dinner. The outlets at Queen Street and Singapore Botanic Gardens sport two slightly different menus and I was keen to visit the cafe for its dinner menu after having patronised the place for its breakfast and dessert menu a couple of times.

Food For Thought at Queen Street

 

Full house sign, waiting was approximately 40 minutes if you did not make a prior reservation

Food For Thought's Feature Menu

They featured a special menu with a starter and two main course choices, only available for a limited period of time.

Malt & Malteasers Milkshake
$8.50

 Decadent and rich, the milkshake was a delight at the table.



Crispy Curry-Spiced Chicken & Spicy Chilli Fries
$18

The Crispy Curry-Spiced Chicken was a surprise when it arrived as the portion was huge. The chicken was served with buttery corn and thyme tomato salad.

 The chicken was crisp and moist with an appropriate dash of curry powder.



Tempura Soft Shelled Crab and Spicy Cream Tomato Linguine with Egg Ribbons
$20

 The featured dish was very well received with three people in the group ordering it and I must say that it was a wise choice. The soft shelled crab was crisp and the linguine was done al dente, just the way we like it. Some of us had the spice level customised, but the original version really isn't too spicy to begin with.



Chai Spice Brûlée Salmon
$22

Served with Smoked Red Capsicum Risotto and Mango Ginger Chutney, I thought the rendition of this dish was lovely. The juicy slab of salmon was coated with an interesting top of slightly charred sweet bits which added an interesting twist fish dish. Coupled with the sweet mango chutney and savory risotto, this is one clever dish which I enjoyed thoroughly.



Pan-seared Salmon and Basil Almond Pesto Risotto
$22

 This is second featured dish on the special menu. I was contemplating between this dish and the Chai Spiced Brûlée Salmon and I opted for the latter after the staff's recommendation. I am glad I made the choice because this dish does seem rather ordinary in comparison to the Chai Spiced Brûlée Salmon.



Moist Carrot Cake
$6

A chunky cake with carrots, shredded coconut, pinapples, walnuts and cream cheese frosting topped with toasted walnuts. I am not a huge fan of coconut so the cake did not go very well on my palette.




Old Southern Red Velvet Cake
$6

The Old Southern Red Velvet Cake, on the other hand, was one of the best Red Velvet cakes that I have had to date. I loved the dense cherry vanilla pound cake beautifully layered with rich cream cheese frosting and drizzled with cherry sauce. I found myself stealing bits off my friend's plate after I abandoned my Carrot Cake.

Hazelnut Chocolate Crunch
$7

Three layers of chocolate sponge with thick hazelnut chocolate, toasted hazelnuts and crispy wafer flakes, coasted with a layer of dark chocolate. I can only imagine how chocolate lovers would scream in delight at this sinfully rich cake.

Profiterole with Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream
$15

We abandoned our cakes immediately when this arrived. It was huge (fork placed at the side for comparison). This was the highlight of the day with the wonderfully crisp pastry puff storing five luscious pearls of ice cream. Definitely a dish that I would return for.


Food for Thought
8 Queen Street
T: +65 6338 9887
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat : 9am to 10pm (Last orders from kitchen 8.50pm)
Sun : 9am to 9pm (Last orders from kitchen 7.30pm)

J.Co Donuts & Coffee, Raffles City

Green Tea Donut
$1, with the purchase of any drink

Even for a non-donut person, I couldn't resist sinking my teeth into one of these perfectly glazed soft buns gleaming in creamy green tea goodness. Yes, and I washed it down with Green Tea Frappe ($6), which was pretty awesome too.

Yet Con Hainanese Chicken Rice, Purvis Street

We sought refuge in the air conditioned place at Yet Con Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant in the sweltering noon heat. Stepping into the old and no frills restaurant reminded me of classic Hong Kong eateries and for a moment it felt like I was out of Singapore. The place was bustling with people during the lunch hour.

The Menu

'Homemade' Barley
$1.50

The  'Homemade' Barley was definitely not 'homemade' with its distinct artificial syrup flavoring that bore a strong resemblence to Yeo's barley drink. I was disappointed at the lack of barley pearls in the drink.

Half a Chicken
$13

 The chicken at Yet Con Restaurant is served as it is, without additional oil or sauce. I thought the chicken was succulent and tasty and loved the fact that it was not overly greasy.

Chicken Rice
$0.60

The chicken rice was very fragrant. We thought the chili sauce could be improved though, perhaps a little lime and some garlic could do the trick.

Fish Maw with Chinese Cabbage and Assorted Meat
$20

The Fish Maw dish was a little on the pricey side but it was well worth it. The dish was well seasoned and bore chunks of seafood, meat and vegetables. The sauce was really good and I particularly enjoyed the fish maw. 

Hainanese Pork Chop
$10

This has got to be the highlight of the day. The pork chop was excellent and everyone at the table loved it. The breaded pork was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, it went very well with the light tomato based sauce.

We were most intrigued by how our receipt was composed of almost nothing, save for two random numbers that had seemingly no correlation to the final amount on the bill.


Yet Con Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant
25 Purvis Street
Tel: +65 6337 6819