Food Review: Riders Cafe

Cuisine: Western

Price: $30 per person

Location: 51 Fairways Drive, 286965 
Website: http://www.riderscafe.sg/

Riders Cafe is located away from the bustle of most of Singapore. Its location is a major asset to the dining experience, as its one of the few places in Singapore where you can escape the pervasive hustle and bustle of the city state. Getting there can be a pain without a car, as it will take upward of 30 minutes of walking to arrive from the nearest bus stop. Don't let that discourage you, because working up an appetite is exactly what you should do before you reach Riders Cafe! 

The menu features breakfast up 'till 11 am and a seperate lunch/dinner menu. The menu is simple, but with a diverse range such as risotto, salads and meat heavier dishes. I ordered the Riders Burger with rocket, brie, relish, bacon, onions and seasoned fries and Death By Chocolate Cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

When the Riders Burger arrived the first thing that struck me was the extremely generous portion.The patty was thick and accompanied by a large serving of fries. The fries were crispy on the outside, while retaining a fluffy inside. I ordered the burger medium rare which was exactly how it was cooked. The patty was also extremely juicy. The mix of bacon, cheese and onions worked well to provide a delicious mouthful every time. The riders burger was a simple dish, but it was done to perfection and I was utterly satisfied.

Originally we were going to order 2 desserts but our server warned us that Death ByChocolate would be a mouthful...he was right! Again we were served a large portion; chocolate cake with ladle of dark chocolate sauce and a large scoop of ice cream. The sauce was extremely rich, and I become totally engorged with only a few mouthfuls. The vanilla ice cream served to lighten the dish. I really struggled to finish this after the burger, and because of how cloying the chocolate sauce was. This was a chocoholics dream but after the large burger I couldn't fully enjoy the dessert. It was incredibly rich, incredibly good and could feed a single person for hours!

Riders Cafes picturesque setting is a rare find in Singapore and one that adds a unique atmosphere to the restaurant. The food is simple, but expertly prepared, with more than generous portions. Undoubtedly one of my favourite places in Singapore for a more casual meal.

9/10

Not A Food Review: NaNa Thai

Cuisine: Thai

Price: $40 for 2 mains and a starter

Location: #04-22, Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Road, 228213
Website: N/A

Not A Food Review is an informal first impression of a restaurant I've eaten at, in which I did not taste enough of the dishes to form a definitive opinion of the establishment.

Its been a really long time since I ate here (blog post long overdue!) so here are the cliff notes!

Beef clay pot: Tasty!

Spring rolls: Tasty!

Tasty!
6/10

Food Review: Halia (At Raffles Hotel)

Cuisine: Asian, Western, Fusion

Price: $85 per person

Location: #01-22/23, Raffles Hotel Arcade, Seah Street
Website: http://thehalia.com/raffles/raffles/about-the-halia/

The Halia is situated in the classy Raffles Hotel Arcade, so before you even walk into the restaurant there is a great ambience. Between 5:30 - 7:00 pm a set menu is available, but we arrived afterwards so went with the a la carte. We ordered a few dishes; wagyu beef carpccio for starter, Halia chilli crab and Chilean sea bass en papillote for main, home made Christmas pudding and sticky toffee pudding for dessert. For drinks we ordered the Heavenly Halia and Turkish apple tea. Throughout the meal the service was fantastic, with the staff attentive and extremely friendly.

The slices of beef were delicious but I didn't particularly like the mayonnaise based sauce. I felt it overpowered the taste of the meat. A tasty introduction to the meal and the best was yet to come.

Life Lesson: Don't Judge People So Quickly

Don't damn someone so easily. Give them a fair chance.

Food Review: Chikuwa Tei

Cuisine: Japanese
Price: $55 per person
Location: 9 Mohamed Sultan Road, 238959
Website: N/A

Chikuwa Tei isn't much of a looker when you go inside, its simple but welcoming. Thankfully the food outdoes the décor. The menu had a wide range of reasonable dishes, typically under $25 for soup and sushi sets.

We ordered the chirashi set, soup dish and some of the house sake (I made the mistake of not writing down what we ordered!). The chirashi set started with a massive bowl of sashimi (seen above), some slices of watermelon, some pickles and miso soup. The sashimi was extremely satisfying and was a meal in of itself. The fish was very fresh and the rice was cooked perfectly. However some fish were unavailable, due to it being Friday, so they were substituted with prawn and scallops. After I'd finished the dish the hostess offered to fry the prawn head. I wasn't entirely sure what to do with the head when she served it to me, but I bit into it and discovered a crunchy treat!

The 2nd part of the chirashi set was this, erm... thing (forgot the name!). It seemed to be composed of egg, mushrooms and prawn. The texture was a bit slimy from the set egg. It was a bit odd and I didn't particularly like it or dislike it.

The soup came in a generous portions and had a really distinctive taste, which was totally unique for me. It had a hint of sweetness to it.

Finally the warm sake was a great addition to the meal.

Chikuwa Tei served some incredibly fresh and distinct tasting dishes, with a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit if you love your sashimi!

8/10

10 Things I'm Thankful For

The video is a bit retarded, but it gets the point across.

I've read a couple of times now that people who are happier, tend to be satisfied and appreciate with what they have where as unhappy people are always looking for the panacea that will solve all their problems; a boyfriend, a car, more money etc

Either way there have been a few experiments that show that people who express their appreciation experience numerous benefits (see links at the bottom). One way this can be put into practice is to simply list down 10 things which you are grateful for. They don't have to be major things, just whatever comes into your head. Here's my list reflecting my appreciation and thankfulness, in no particular order:

1. My loving and sexy girlfriend whom I can spend all day with and not get bored. 
2. A functional umbrella that kept me dry!
3. Receiving an Christmas email from my 8 year old brother.
4. Living in a city with great food like Wild Honey or Coastal Settlement!
5. My grandma's maid for the delicious fried rice she makes every week day.
6. A secure roof over my head.
7. A gaming laptop so I can play the latest and greatest!
8. Finding a welcoming and friendly community in Brazilian Ju Jitsu.
9. Being taller than 90% of people in Singapore, lol.
10. Working with my boss David, who has really empowered me and treated me as full time staff.

Who and what are you thankful for?

Not A Game Review: The Lord of the Rings: War In The North

Genre: Adventure/RPG
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Release date: 1/11/11

Developer: Snowblind Studios

In Not A Review I won't be delivering my final verdict, only my limited impressions of the game. Why? Because I grew bored of the game before I completed it.

The Lord of the Rings: War In The North attempts to tell a new story, with new heroes set during the War of the Ring. You will briefly encounter several of Lord of the Rings (LotR) cast including Gandalf and Legolas, with the initial events of the game running parallel to book/film. The game features co op and a light weight RPG system. If you think that sounds interesting, well it isn't.

The game starts with an elf, a dwarf and a human roaming Bree. Such companionship is incredibly rare in Middle Earth, but annoyingly its never explained how such a team came about. You quickly meet Aragorn and are off into the wilderness to aid him in distracting the Enemy. The town of Bree serves as a introductory hub, of which there are several throughout the game. You'll find vendors selling weapons and armour, some optional dialogue and side quests. Its all very basic and by the books.