#16: Nando's @ Plaza Singapura

After the Nando's One direction fever is over, i've decided to pay a visit and to try out what's so special about their dishes. 

Didn't have to wait too long for our tables , and i could see that its a full house in this casual-dining restaurant. Their menu is difficult to decipher as it was our first time. (hate reading pictureless menus) So i've decided to order a 2-3 pax meal as i'm afraid that my mates and I we couldn't finish. 

As i look across the table i've noticed that many of the customers dishes have not arrived, so i think to myself.. " It's really gonna take a long time." And yes indeed, we waited nearly 20mins before our food arrive. Hungriness starts to kick in. And soon our food arrive. And to my horror, the portion is small hardly to fill three of our hungry stomachs ... I'm pissed with the waitress that doesn't describe to us how the portion is until we received our food. (another reason for pictureless menu)

So while munching on their perfectly marinated chicken, we ordered extra rice and side orders to counter the small portions. And that, we have to wait for another 10-15mins...

Although their service is not so competent, their chicken and sauces are one you would die for! Their grilled herb chicken marinated overnight gives and extra edge in the taste which will linger and gives you cravings. 

Their sauces from according to spicyness  level : Ketchup < Lemon & Herb < Mild Peri-peri < Hot Peri-peri < Extra Hot Peri-peri. One should try their sauces! For me, i've tried all their sauces and one stood out is the Extra Hot Peri-peri because im a chilli lover <3 

You may choose 2 side dishes, so i basically tried their Mediterranean rice which is cooked deliciously and also their portugese spinach , which is a mixture of sweet and sour flavours ! I didn't order dessert because i knew we had to wait extra longer.

Till next time, when their service improves i will be back for a second round, and (!) of course ordering a single serving rather than sharing which is hardly full.

Ps: After this tiny portion experience, i went on to malaysia to compare their portion and this was the outcome for 3/4 pax, including 5 side dishes

Look at this mouthwatering dessert which still lingers in my tastebuds.

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Merryxmas and enjoy your holidays!

#15: Yomenya Goemon @ CityLink

So during the holidays, i followed my parents as they decided to walk around cityhall and suntec to shop for christmas gifts for our friends and relatives. And yes, no one knows i've hidden my mom Charles and Keith xmas present inside my bagpack hahaha! 

My parents were not that hungry, however i'm starting to feel ravenous so we went to search for a new place to eat. City Link is not a very big place but it is consider quite a distance because it stretches from city hall MRT interchange to marina square and suntec city. There was a wide range of outlet from Thai, American Quiznos to Sushi Express. 

So while contemplating and walking around for a good 30mins we decided to step into this Japanese Spaghetti restaurant called Yomenya Goemon. 

The queue wasn't bad and we don't have to wait long as it was already 7plus in the evening. Their service is very efficient from taking orders to clearing your plates after meal. But their cooking takes quite some time. 

One thing i notice that they do not place any spoon / soup spoon on the table, just a pair of chopstick. 

So we ordered a Smoked Chicken & Three cheese for me . And since my parents aren't that hungry... they ordered a half and half meal which is rather unique. For example, my regular pasta is made with 380g of spaghetti . While the half and half is 190g and by adding the another half (you can choose a different selected spaghetti dish) 190g will give you a total of 380g. So if you are a small eater and would want to share, it will be great to go with this option. 

This is my spaghetti : Smoked Chicken & Three Cheeses , look at their generous amount of toppings and sauce.

The amount of cheese they added is decent enough. Their miso soup between my coke and salad, yes no spoon so you drink it like a cup of tea ! Their miso soup is neither thick nor salty, just right, and it's better than Yoshinoya's miso. 

This is the half and half spaghetti which my parents ordered. Spaghetti Mahgerita and Crab, Shrimp & Scallop.

And i must say that this place serve brilliant spaghetti! But better than Pastamania? Well to me their spaghetti portion > pastamania's portion.  Definitely be coming back to try their wide range of different flavoured dishes. 

#14 Tim Ho Wan @ Plaza Singapura

Dim sum lovers, this is one immensely popular michelin-starred dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan which can help to satisfy your "hongkong's" cravings. This restaurant has had long snaking queues since day one when it was opened in Plaza singapura.

After 8 long months since i came back from Hong Kong , i've been missing on genuine and delectable hongkee food! And the only place i could satisfy and bring back those nostalgic memory is to dine into their famous hongkong dim sum restaurant here. 

The queue is long as usual , while queueing you are able to choose on your dishes but not submitting your order yet until you're seated. It was past 30mins till we were brought to our seats. Although the entrance of the restaurant stated clearly that strictly no takeaway service is allowed, however i had discovered a loophole: which is , you order as much as you want while the ones you want to takeaway as leftovers and you tell their staff to packet for you. 

Most people say that their food are overrated, well i can only disagree to a certain degree. Tim Ho Wan 4 Heavenly King dishes is a must try! It is 4 of their so-called "special" dishes. And one of the four dishes especially their famouse char siew bao really stood out,  this dish still wins my heart. Its crumbly and fluffly, sweet exterior goes well with the ingredients. And becareful its HOT. 

And then there is their other dishes all perfectly hand made. I should not go much into the details least making you hungry. Don't take my words for it, you should try it yourself . And the waiting time is absolutely queueworthy and with  unique offerings for both green-horn eaters and dimsum lovers. 

#12: Lenas @ Tampines 1

Lenas which from what i know is run by the management of MOF umbrella (Ministry Of Food). It works just like Astons however with a twist, using an american Italian style concept and the way they present their dish are different. They do not have big hoohaa over their advertisement, their brand are spread by the word of mouth. Ambiance at Lenas is rustic with wooden furniture and low lighting. Service at Lenas revolves around quick and efficient, which is great. Expect it to be crowded and noisy, partly due to the affordable and reasonable priced dishes.

With a vast choices of mains, (chicken, fish, beef and pasta), and a choice of sauce / sidedish (around 10 over sauce you can choose from) to match your tastebuds and cravings. 

Their dessert menu looks overwhelming, spoilt for choices. Unfortunate thing is my stomach couldn't fit much.

Their salad is generous with their cheese and greens. I do have to comment on their dish portions, its quite big actually. Thus i can say its worth your money. 

Grilled Chicken Mozzarella 

Suprisingly the mozzarella cheese tasted like pizza.

Ribeye 180g

However, taste and quality its where Lenas falls short. One thing that turns me off is the additional charge of $0.30 for a cup of plain water... Hence you should try their signature ice lemon mint tea float drink instead. Which you couldn't find anywhere else but here. And also their fried banana dessert which i've yet to try.

Ice lemon mint tea float

Quite a big jar

In retrospect, i would be back for more because their pizzas, pastas and dessert looks very appealing, wondering when will be my next visit. 

#11: Thien Kee SteamBoat Restaurant @ Golden Mile Tower

During this chilly night, the best place to overcome this cold weather is to head down to Golden Mile tower at beach road for a hot piping rejoicing steamboat session. 

I have been coming here for a good old local steamboat since i was a little kid, and their food is always consistent. As a  kid, i would always cook myself beef and skip all the vegetables. However as time flies, i've learnt to cook and enjoy the other ingredients especially their cockles, sea cucumber etc, this is how you enjoy a proper steamboat.

I have to stress to you that this place is really crowded around 6pm onwards and the crowd just keep flooding in as time pass. Eventhough they have plenty of staff on standby and opened tables that can stretch across to the other side of the untenated shopping mall. Yes, you still have to wait so its best if you come early.

It is time consuming to wait for a table as on every table everyone is busy cooking and happily chatting away. But i'm lucky enough to get seated. And at around 7pm onwards, their staff will be too busy to even find you a table and even take your additional orders.

Much further a do i will like to take you to their side dishes which i've tried, not bad actually. First of all their satay, I can say it tasted both chewy and tender at the same time, you wont see large overburnt on the surface. Thumbs up! They even have their Hainan specialty chicken which is superb, for me its better than the 5 star chicken rice at katong. Ask for less oil. You can choose between white rice or chicken rice, i always go for the chicken rice! 

And after your meal, a glass of lime juice to clear up the after taste of the soup. And the rest is up to your cooking standards! One thing good about steamboat is you're able to bond with your family and friends :)

#10: NamNam Noodle Bar @ Wheelock

Every now and then, whenever i pass by this Vietnam cuisine i've notice long queues every single day. So i decided to dine in and check out what is so special about their dishes. 

NamNam noodle bar is a Vietnamese restaurant basically well-known for their beef noodle soup and mouth-watering sandwiches. The decent timing to grab a bite is during brunch or early dinner. 

As we were brought to our seats, their layout is organise but cramp. Every "big" movement when walking or around your table area, you could eventually apologise for knocking into someone. However, the crampy and crowded atmosphere really makes you feel like you're in their local bar.

Their bowl of soup may not seems appetising to you without those heavy garnishes. But do not judge a dish by its appearance! The soup makes you craves for more (Must be the MSG) and noodles are indeed "bouncy" because they are made from rice.

The beef bowl i ordered contains quality ingredients such as wagyu beef, big and juicy large home-made beef ball larger than the size of your soup spoon, and also includes other beef parts as well which combines together beautifully.

Reluctant to say this but their sandwich tasted heavenly. ( though i've been making subway's sandwiches for over a year. ) NamNam's sandwich is filled with flavoursome ingredient which includes: Cold Cuts, Char Siew and Pork Pate. They also have other sandwiches that have ingredients like fish cake and tofu (Must Try!) or Vegetarian. 

Extra flavouring / Seasoning if you need them.

And yes definitely i will be back for more!