Restaurant Review食评 :- La Forketta Italian Restaurant拉佛凯塔意大利饭馆, Nassim Road, Singapore

 La Forketta is in a very expensive part of Singapore near Orchard Road and Tanglin Road. My family  was in Town on Business so we decided to go somewhere near his hotel. The restaurant looked nice from the outside so we decided to give it a try.
拉佛凯塔是一个在新加坡乌节路和唐临路一带很贵的地方。我的家人来市区工作，所以我们决定找个离他酒店近的地方吃饭。这个饭馆从外面看上去不错，我们决定试一试。

Italian food when cooked with finesse and skill surpasses any other western food.

意大利菜的烹饪材料和技法比其他西方菜好很多。We wanted to eat like Romans in Singapore.我们想要在新加坡吃得象个罗马人。

We were looking forward to it. So we entered 'La Forketta' with anticipation.我们很期待。所以我们带着预期步入那个饭馆。The Kitchen, as you see below looked spotless and the Chefs seemed to have everything in hand.厨房，如你所见，一尘不染，厨师有很多工具。
I was a little annoyed though by being asked not to take photos in the restaurant by the waiting staff as  I was focusing on was the food and the general layout of the place to let you guys see it.当被服务生要求不许照相的时候，我有点烦。因为我专注于食物和装饰，想让你们看。

The restaurant did not seem particularly busy - in fact only half of the tables were taken.  I noticed hardly any of the people were Singaporean - as this is a particularly popular venue for people staying in hotels nearby.这个饭馆看上去没那么多人-实际上只有一半桌子坐满了。我注意到，很少是新加坡人- 因为这是酒店的住客吃饭的热门地点。

It was a pleasant environment but nothing particularly special I would say.

Perhaps the relatively quiet feel of the place implied that prices here were too expensive.

很令人愉快的环境，但是我得说没什么特别的。

可能正是这种安静的感觉让这个地方特贵。

I ordered the 'Casarecce with Spinach and Prawns'. This is homemade short pasta with creamy spinach sauce.

To be honest this tasted satisfactory but nothing really as to be expected for such a restaurant for a reputation of haute cusine.

我点了家常菠菜虾意面。这是家常意大利虾面和菠菜浓汤汁。
实话说味道让人满意，可是没什么特别期待的，相对于这种高档饭馆来说。

My relative had a Spaghetti with Fresh Clams. Now this was tastier and the clams were certainly fresh.

This dish was well prepared . The sauce of wine, cherry tomatoes, chilli was exceptional. It really added to the fusion of flavours. It was also very filling.

我亲戚要的是蛤蜊意大利面。好吃点，而且蛤蜊很新鲜。
这个菜准备得很好，酒做汁，樱桃番茄和辣椒很棒。增加了味道，而且满满一盘。

Next course that my relative ordered was the 'Seafood antipasti'. This was such a large selection of seafood you cannot fail to be impressed by it.

We could see and taste the Scallops, prawns, slipper lobster, black mussels and clams.

我亲戚要的下一个菜是海鲜杂烩面。这个有很多海鲜，你会留下深刻印象。

We clearly tasted the lemon and olive oil.
我们清楚地尝到了柠檬和橄榄油的味道。

It was very nice and if you love seafood you will love it too.这个很好，如果你喜欢海鲜的话，你会喜欢这道菜的。

The Bill was a little bit excessive - $124 for 3 dishes - this is too expensive!   Despite this price we cannot fail to praise the Seafood Antipasti with its plentiful supply of fresh seafood. We can certainly recommend this dish.

帐单有点超了-124新币三个菜-太贵了！尽管这个价钱，我们还是欣赏有多种新鲜海鲜的海鲜杂烩面。我们绝对推荐这个菜。

Singapore Mrt Circle Line Fully Opens with dancing celebration - Holland Village

Restaurant Review食评:- Cha Cha Cha Mexican Restaurant"恰恰恰"墨西哥饭馆, Holland Village荷兰村, Singapore新加坡

Cha Cha Cha Restaurant was very busy the day we visited as the circle line station at Holland Village had just opened so it was very busy.
"恰恰恰"饭馆人很繁忙，我们去的那天，荷兰村的环线刚刚开通，所以很多人。

Cha Cha Cha is very colourful inside and seems a very popular spot perhaps due to its location.
"恰恰恰"里面色彩鲜艳，看上去是一个非常热门的地点，因为它位置不错。

We got a table near the edge of the restuarant and could people watch as the crowds went by.

我们在门边找了张桌子，可以看来来往往的人群。

We prefer the tables near the outside which are less claustrophobic, though they are sometimes a little smoky.
我们喜欢靠近外面的桌子，不那么幽闭，虽然有时候有点烟味。

We were greeted quickly by the serving staff and within  8 minutes they had taken our order, eventhough there were many customers there.
服务员问候了我们，8分钟后菜上来了，虽然那儿有很多顾客。

I had the 'Enchiladas de Espinaca y Papa'.
This consisted of a meatless filling of Spinach and Mashed Potato, topped with Melted Cheese and Served with Mexican Rice.
我要的是“菠菜土豆辣酱玉米馅饼”，由没有味道的菠菜和土豆泥组成，浇上溶化的芝士，搭配墨西哥米饭。

I was a bit disappointed with the Size of the Serving which did not fill the whole plate.
菜量让我有点失望，没有摆满一整盘。

The meal was tasty - Spinanch and Cheese was plentiful and cooked just right.The portion size let it down though.

这个菜很好吃 - 菠菜和芝士足量，做得不错。虽然菜量少，让它看着不值。

My friend had the 'Burritos de Champignons y Queso'.
This was fresh mushrooms topped with Melted Cheese in a burrito. Served with refried beans, Mexican Rice, sour cream and guacamole.
我朋友要的是“香菇和芝士卷饼".
蘑菇很新鲜，溶化的芝士在饼上。搭配炒豆泥，墨西哥米饭，酸奶油和鳄梨沙拉酱。

This dish was a very generous portion.
这个菜给得够多。

Everything about it was delicious.The mix was perfect and the Mushrooms succulent.
所有的东西都很美味。完美混合，蘑菇多汁。

This is highly recommended.Thirty two Singapore Dollars was reasonable for the location.

强烈推荐。32块新币在这个地方很合理。

The Burritos de Champignons y Queso was fantastic and tasty.
蘑菇奶酪卷饼很棒很好吃。

The other dish was not worth the money.
别的菜不值得。

We rate this restaurant 7 out of 10.
我们给这个地方7/10分。

Restaurant Review :- Absolute Thai, Marina Bay Link Mall, Singapore

It was Thursday Night  in the Marina Bay Link Mall and as we ambled past 'Absolute Thai' we suddenly got drawn in.

Time after time I had passed by this popular restaurant yet tonight I felt the moment to be bedazzled so gave  it a chance.

Ushered in promptly and shown to a window seat to people watch.

There is a nice open kitchen and a specials board and there were a few tables occupied.


 The Chandelier adds a touch of Magic.

The 'Phad Thai Noodle with Prawn' caught my eye and my friend ordered 'Grilled Chicken served with Thai Chilli Sauce'.

The dishes were filled with fresh ingredients and were presented beautifully.

We marvelled at the constant delivery at what looked like, authentic Thai food.

 The Phad Thai was a lovely concoction.
 A fusion of flavours and the red chilli had a real kick of spice.

The Coriander, lime and beansprouts were a tremendous mix.

Very very nice and I felt satisfied right till the end of this splendour of sustenance.

There could have been more prawns though and they were a little small!

 The Grilled Chicken served with Thai Chilli Sauce was less filling.

What it lacked in portions though - it made up for in taste.

The Chicken was filled with flavour and I swear I detected honey. It tasted fruity too.

I ordered an additional rice to go with it.

It was pretty healthy too.

Our food bill only came to £29 for 2 dishes - pretty cheap for the financial district!!

For food and service and price competitiveness would give this restaurant 8 out of 10.

Worth a visit!!

Restaurant Review:- Mirchi - Taste of India, 2 Marina Boulevard, Singapore

 We found ourselves very close to Marina Bay Sands and felt drawn to a chic little Indian Restaurant Called Mirchi.

We entered into a serene restaurant decorated colourfully with welcoming staff.

The service was swift and efficient.

Unfortunately the menu had no pictures so we tried to imagine which would be tasty and quizzed the serving staff too.

 The Jeera Rice (Cumin Tempered Dasmati Rice) complemented our curries perfectly and was cooked just the way we like it.

It was soft and not too dry.

I ordered Rogan Josh - a traditional Kashmiri Lamb dish.

It tasted a little bit salty but the Lamb meat was tasty.  It was not too spicy either.

There could have been more meat though - as the gravy seemed a little too excessive for the met I got served.

This left me a little unsatisfied.

 The Chicken Vindaloo my friend had was charged with spices.

I had one taste and that was enough as my mouth took a long time to lose the spicyness.

The chicken was succulent and fresh and the gravy did not overpower it.

For spice lovers - this is recommended.

The Plain Naan was plentiful but pretty average.

It complemented the curry dishes well.

The Bill was expensive for what we got but it was due to the fact that it is so close to many Bank's offices and Marina Bay Sands.

The price is excessive.

We would give it 5.5/10.

The Chicken Vindaloo was nice but other dishes were not up to standard. The price counts against it too.

There are better Indian Restaurants in Singapore.

Restaurant Review食评 :- Crystal Jade La Mian XiaoLongBao 翡翠拉面小笼包, Suntec City, Singapore 新加坡

Having heard great reports about Crystal Jade La Mian XiaoLongBao at Suntec City Mall - we decided to purvey its finest food on a Sunday Afternoon.

听说过位于新达城的翡翠拉面小笼包-我们星期天下午决定去看看它有什么好吃的。

When we arrived it was relatively quiet - but the place felt very relaxed and the service was quick and deliberate.

当我们到的时候，相当冷清-但是这个地方感觉很放松，而且服务快速而从容。

 On the plus side was the fact that you can see the Kitchen and you could see that Food Hygiene is taken very seriously here.

还有一个好处是，你可以看到厨房而且可以看到他们对食物的卫生十分在意。

There was no annoying music but just a mystical aura of the finest Chinese food cooking.

没有烦人的音乐，只有神秘的中餐烹饪氛围。

My friend ordered 'Pork Dumpling with Hot Chilli Sauce".

我的朋友点了“红油炒手”。

This dish was wondrous and delicious. The dumplings were succulent and the pork was delicious but not too spicy for our tastes.The dumplings were very filling too.

这个菜奇妙而好吃，饺子多汁而且猪肉很好吃，但是对我们来说太辣了。饺子吃了很饱。

I ordered Sauteed Died Chicken with Dried Chilli in Spicy Sauce.Be warned - this is very spicy - but the chicken and cashew nuts were delicious - from the size of this dish - I did not imagine my stomach would be as full as I felt after this serving.

It was very nice and highly recommended.

我点了宫保鸡丁。

小心-这个很辣-但是鸡肉和腰果很美味 - 从菜量上看 - 我没到吃完以后肚子会那么饱。

很好吃，墙裂推荐。

Now this was my favourite dish - 'The Dumpling Combination'.

现在这个是我的最爱 - 饺子大集合。-v-

It is a great opportunity to get a taster of lots of different dumplings - like 'Dumpling with Stewed Pork and Preserved Vegetable'

or 'Dumpling with Pork String Bean and Preserved Olive Leaf' or 'Kimchi Dumpling'

or  ‘Dumpling with Spicy Chicken'.

这是个好机会尝试不同种类的饺子-比如菜肉饺子、菜豆猪肉饺子、泡菜饺子、辣鸡肉饺子。

This fusion of flavours was a great experience for us and we would order this again if we came back.
这个味道非常丰富，如果我们下次再去，会再点的。

The Bill came to 29 Singapore Dollars - you do pay a premium here - so it is not value driven but all the dishes were of a high standard.

帐单29块新币 - 你需要付额外的费用 - 所以开车不太划算，但是所有的菜质量都很高。

We would return and would give this nice restaurant 7 out of 10.

We would give it more if its prices were more competitive.

我们会再去，给这个饭馆7/10分。

我们会给更高分如果价钱更有竞争力的话。

Well Done Crystal Jade La Mian XiaoLongBao, Suntec Mall, Singapore!

表现不错，新加坡新达城翡翠拉面小厨！


Update :- 22nd October 2011 - We visited again!

The Fried Scallion Pancake tasted very crispy but wasn't anything special.

It was a little bit oily and certainly not the healthiest dish on the menu - not for yoga enthusiasts or marathon runners!

The Noodle with Beef Brisket was nice. The Meat was succulent but the noodles were not of as good quality as We would have expected.

In fact I would go as far as to say - Din Tai Fung has a better quality equivalent dish.

We finally decided upon the 'Beijing Pork Dumplings' after being told that other Dumpling Varieties were not available. This was on a Saturday night. Very surprising!

The Pork Dumplings were nice but nothing spectacular!

This second trip was a bit dissappointing compared to our previous trip to Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao but we still think it is great value for $21. Very reasonable for a very substantial meal.

We noted that the Service here is getting gradually worse. What a shame!

Terracotta Warriors Exhibition, Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore

 Currently showing at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore is the Terracotta Warriors Exhibition.

The Exhibition is on until 16th October 2011.

The nearest MRT(subway) to the museum is Raffles Place.

 The Terracotta Warriors were discovered near xi-an in 1974. They are lifelike sculptures of the armies of the first Chinese Emperor of China which were buried with him to protect him in the afterlife.

The first emperor of China was called Qin Shi Huang.

 Amazingly every single Terracotta Warrior was made to look unique and was hand painted by local xian Craftsmen of the time.

 Prior to entering the gallery we came across these funny exhibits which looked interesting.

 The warriors have been beautiful preserved and it is amazing that many years after their creation we can still see them today.

Previously these historical artifacts would not have been allowed out of China but today they are - which is lucky for us.

 Tickets for entrance cost 8 singapore dollars per adult, which with hindsight was pretty good value.

The Museum was particularly busy though as we visited it on a Sunday - so difficult to get good photographs due to the crowd.

 These were more preliminary figures before the main event which we again found quite interesting.

 Rest assured they did not have Laptops or Ipads in Emperor Qin's time!

 The Bronze chariot for the emperor was quite interesting. The coachman was quite well covered and was armed with a sword to protect the emperor.

The roof was round to depict the sky.

The chariot was unearthed in 1980 and was to be used by the Emperor for inspection tours.

 Here is a suit of armour to be used by the warriors.

It consists of limestone plates.

 The warriors look almost serene and trance like - almost like they are in a form of afterlife themselves.

 All of the Warriors faces look happy and confident.

Perhaps confident and strong of their protection of the Emperor.

 Here is a horse which looks bold and strong and has a saddle.

It is one of the 180 terracotta horses which were discovered from the emperor's burial chamber.

 In the burial chamber the Terracotta Warriors can be categorised as Common Soldiers, Elite Soldiers, Armoured Soldiers and Generals.

The Generals wore long cloaks and waved their hands to organise their troops.

Common Soldiers wore no armour so they could be agile and ready for engagement with the enemy.

 This Soldier still has evidence of the red paint used to paint him.

It was an amazing experience to see the Terracotta Warriors in Singapore.

Thius makes us want to see all the figures in Xi-an at some future point.

The downside of this exhibition is that it was too crowded with people and the collection was not extensive really.

The Bronze Chariot was a highlight though.

The entrance fee was reasonable but we would advise you to go on a quieter day when the school tours and families are not crowding the gallery.

Hope you enjoy it.