Manna Story

This is the story of Manna. Manna is neither a girl, nor a boy, nor a man. I seriously have no idea who or what Manna means so I shall stop this nonsense :P


I found Manna Story in the basement of Plaza Singapura's basement 2, among many other food choices in the same basement and building. From a little research, it seems Manna is found in lots of other places including US. The decor is that of a quaint little storybook-like house with pastel colors that makes one feel happy and welcomed. The waiters/ waitresses serving the customers are all korean who speaks good (americanized) english.


Ordered


Side dishes

While waiting for my orders to arrive, these 4 selection of 'free' side dishes was served. Ikan bilis(as how I know it), veggies and some bean sprouts and carrot mix and of course kim chi as appetisers.


Chicken Bibimbap

+

+ Mixing

=

I hope that's the right way to eat this? But if you can see, the Bibimbap here is pretty authentic, and the bean paste sauce (Gochujang) is pretty spicy but yet pleasantly fragrant. Using the sauce to mix up the medley of sunny side up egg, meat, bean sprouts, crunchy veggies and rice, what you get is mouthful after mouthful of sapid Bibimbap that will leave you wanting more.

Score : 4.0/5.0

Chicken Bulgolgi

Sizzling it's way from the kitchen to the table is this plate of chicken bulgolgi. The portion is big, with plentiful pieces of marinated chicken, veggies and glass noodles. This is not (normally) a 1 man show, so get this if you have a partner or 2 to share with. I seriously would have expected much lesser in portions but am surprised by this amount. However, though the chicken is well done, the whole thing is a tad too soupy.

Score: 3.75/5.0


Overall


Manna's Story is a belly-warming one and I will read this story again soon, do try this story and share it with your friends.


Manna Story
Plaza Singapura
#B2-22

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Mos Burger : Wagyu Burger

'Gyu' stands for 'Cow' in japanese. Wagyu, to put it simply, is beef known for a richer flavor due to it's marbling. This is again another excellent example of the fatter it is, the tastier it is. Sad but true. But with all things in the world, you have to pay a premium for premium grade, Wagyu beef is no exception to this rule. But Mos Burger is going to change that.

Picture taken from Mos Burger's Webby

Mos Burger's Wagyu Beef Buger uses Wagyu from Australia.  

Between the two soft buns is a leaf (or two) of lettuce, the star player, some mushrooms, Demiglace sauce with a dab of mustard.

Picture taken in Mos Burger

With a difference of $5.90 and $6.10 for the cheese and no-cheese version, it is a no brainer for me or for anyone to choose the cheese(maybe not for the lactose intolerant). My teeth faces little resistance from the patty as it slices it with ease.

Resistance is futile!

The patty is soft, moist, tender and delicious, a stark contrast from the regular patty you get from other fast food outlets. The patty is larger than the bun itself, making the carnivore inside me happy :)

The fungi, whose identity I can't verify, adds a little more bite to the burger but does not add much taste. For the fungi haters out there, fret not, it does not have the smell which disgusts you. There is always the option to say " No mushrooms " at the counter. 

Just ask for more~

Demi-glace sauce, one of the mother 5 sauces in French cuisine, is widely used in Japanese-Western fusion cuisine Hayashi rice. It is a brown sauce that is highly versatile, which you can use it as a base for something else or on it's own.The one here is slightly thick and reddish brown, and complements the burger nicely, not the best, but good enough. Ask for more sauce if you like more flavor. The process of creating a demi-glace sauce from scratch is highly laborious, so there exist ready made sauces or mixes(Heinz) in the market, I wonder if Mos Burger makes it from scratch or...?

I do not recommend chili sauce nor ketchup for it does not require any more condiment, this delight  should be experienced by itself. At a price of $6.10(or $5.90 for the non-cheese version), people might think it a little expensive for a burger, but given the size of the patty, the better cut of meat used, it is worth it. Try looking for a Wagyu burger or anything with Wagyu in their name for the price of $6, I doubt you can. I am not sure how long this will be on the menu, so hurry to a Mos Burger now before its gone.

Score : 4.0/5 

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Cold Stone Creamery

Located on the first floor ( #01-10) of Orchard Central, it is one of the few places which is able to boast a queue. The queue for it always deters me from joining, but I am interested in what is so special with something that is already around in Singapore, namely adding in "innings"(opposite of toppings) into ice cream and mixing them on the rock(a cold one) from outlets like Cold Rock Ice Creamery and Ice Cream Chefs. Some Singaporeans who had a taste of it overseas and locally were singing praises about it endlessly, saying that it provides a happy atmosphere when preparing your icy creamy treat. But aren't all ice cream places generally a happy place?

Closer Look

The ice cream mix is available in 3 sizes:
"Like it" $ 5.50, "Love it"$ 7.90 and "Gotta have it" $9.90 which is 4,6 and 8 ounce respectively.


Ordered

Founder's favorite ("Like it" size)

Sweet cream ice cream mixed in with caramel, fudge, pecans and brownie. A simple enough mix that seems fail-safe. It is a full ball of ice cream, so fear not for horrifying "holes" that might be found in the cups of certain ice cream places, cheating u of a half or 1 ounce.

The mix is as predicted, fail-proof with a generous amount of brownies and pecans thrown in. The pecans are, as quoted by my lovely partner : " This pecan ar~ very nicely toasted ar~" which she was busily hunting for more pecans, with me thwarting her efforts as I too am on the hunt for the delicious crunchy bits.

Squeeeeeeeze~~

However, the brownie could do with some moderation as the chewy brownie overwhelmed the taste of the ice cream itself, so much that I couldn't really taste the taste of the ice cream. Think founder likes his brownie a lot.

Score : 3.8/5


Overall
I was expecting a song or some jingle that was reported but all I get was the usual exchange of dollars and cents and return at the counter. But when I was looking back at the mixing counter, I coulda sworn I saw the mixer guy throwing the ball of ice cream in the air, catching whatever dust is on the way up and on the way down to that customer's order. I kid I kid, maybe it's just me being a tiny bit sour not getting a flying ice cream ball.

It is indeed nice, but I find nothing really different from the other ice cream offerings. For those still curious, it is still worth it to head down to try it out from one of their many thought out selections or create your own flavor. I hope that my next visit I might get to see some tricks.


*Go to their web page(link below), sign up for the "Birthday club" and receive a voucher for free ice cream redeemable on your birthday!*


Cold Stone Creamery
181 Orchard Central Road
#01-09/10 (S)238896
Tel: 6634 1015 | Fax – 6238 9420
Operating Hours
(Mon – Sun) 11am – 11pm 

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Oriole Cafe & Bar

Oriole Cafe, pronounced "O-Reo" just like the cookie :D. This cafe is neatly tucked away behind somerset 313. This is one place I did not notice (Guess it's tucked away too neatly for me) even though I walked past it umpteen times until I read about the wonderful magic they can create in their cups. I knew I have to go there to experience  the magic.


Interior is slightly dim even on a lunchtime afternoon, maybe it's to induce a cozy feeling? For those who loves the heat and humidity, you can choose to sit outside. Not me.

Ordered

Piccolo Latte

Headed to the counter to see the "making of" of my drink. Piccolo means little in italian, not the character in Dragonball Z.
My piccolo latte came in a piccolo cup as shown. Nice piccolo cup eh?

The flower was slightly seng-ngeh(slanted), but the taste is mmm~ awesome!

A lover of coffee who avoids it normally due to it's stimulatory effect, I ain't no expert, but I gotta say this coffee is just delightfully smooth. This child of milk and coffee got the good genes from their parents.


Score: 4.5/5.0

Fish & Chips

The fish and potatoes combi arrived in a small basket. My pre-research told me initially it was 3 big fish, then it became 5 smaller ones. Guess they decided to change it to 4 medium(?) ones now?

Fish was served with tartar and wedges. I'm a tartar monster, so this little serving of tartar is just not enough. Despite it being served pipin hot, wedges was soft and not crispy(yeah I'm on the crispy fries camp). Guess their wedges have a half-life that is so short their crisp deteriorates from the 30 second to 1 minute walk from the kitchen to my table.

Enough about the slightly disappointing fries. Lets focus on the fish! Crisp batter that doesn't feel like you need to run 20 km to burn it off. From what I know this fish is snapper and it is FRESH! This is one fish that I'll go back for more again. It is, I repeat, fresh and crispy. I can really taste the freshness in the fresh in every bite. 4 Pieces is just not enough.

Score: 4.0/5.0
Fish : wedges, why must you go soft!
Wedges : cause I'm not excited?

Beef Cheek Tagliatelle

Another mouthful, Tagliatelle (pronounced Tah-lyah-tel-le) is another form of italian noodle, just like chinese have different kinds of noodles. Think mee pok's italian doppelganger. Pasta is a little overcooked but still within tolerable limits, so it is not the al dente that I'm expecting.

The cow which they got must have been slapped silly cause the beef cheeks are OMG so tender! I'm surprised they stay together after being impaled by the fork. Yum yum. Pasta, sauce and beef cheeks behind my cheeks is just awesome.


However, by the time I reach 3/4 of the dish, kinda felt that the heaven that I'm placing in my mouth is getting too much, too "jelak". Guess too much of anything is not good. A little too saturated perhaps. I'd recommend this for perhaps 2-4 to share so no one thinks enough is enough and gets sick with this.


Score: 4.0/5.0

Overall


Had a little chat with the owner who was roasting the beans, he hoped that it's not my first and last visit. Well, if he is reading this, it'll not be. I'll go back to this cafe again for sure, and hopefully to try out their other coffee choices and items in their menu. 


Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road, #01-01 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
6238 8348

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X-Men : First Class

I must admit, as much as I like my superheroes, I don't like Marvel's X-Men much. Reason? The X-Men's name is almost synonymous to  Wolverine to many, so much so that it's too trite to bear. Wolverine is like the Bumblebee of the Transformers movie and Pikachu of Pokemon, overexposed. Just how much of fast healing hairy grumpy man with claws who looks like he's constipated can you take before you are sick of him? It's interesting to note that Bumblebee, Wolverine(comics) and Pikachu are all yellow.

Back to the topic, due to the previous 3 movies or 4 ( counting in the Wolverine movie -_-), I was really apprehensive about X-Men : First Class, but the thought of not seeing wolverine makes it a much better idea(to my dismay). But I went to see it nonetheless, regret I did not.

I'll try my best not to spoil anything as I'm one who hates to be spoilt. It is again a "beginnings" movie, of how Professor X and Magneto met, of when they were young and introduces a load of mutants who were pretty low profile in the comics.

As with every show, there's a show stealer, in this we have 2. First, Emma Frost(portrayed by January Jones). She's a mind reader just like the prof, with diamond skin. Cosmetics companies should really consider using her as their cover model, it's diamond skin! But her primary power is not what I've just described, but this!

Clothed in as little cloth as possible, 20th Century Fox really am pushing her charms to cater to the male audience. Beyond that though, the character barely contributes to anything much.


Enter Professor X, an academic specialising in human mutation is chatty, humorous and surprisingly flirty. The complete opposite of the monk we know him in the traditional X-men.

Argh~ Gimme some Panadol

In his younger days, Charles 'X' Xavier is still able to walk with hair on his scalp. Never would I actually expect most of the funny moments to come from him. Professor X is the most lovable character during the 2 hrs, next to Emma Frost for some, for entirely different reasons.

Of course, we'll get to see how Magneto becomes more magnetic, and the source of his headgear choice. In this movie, Both Charles and Erik(Magneto) are best friends, and this movie tries to show us how they eventually broke off and start the X-Men and the brotherhood of mutants.
The other supporting mutants are largely silent from the antagonist camp, appearing only to wreak some havoc(coincidentally one of the mutants is called Havok).

Reach out for the stars~

Overall, X-Men First Class is indeed first class, but is it because it's a beginnings movie, hence it's ease of translation onto the silver screen. Besides the silent mutants on the side, the overall movie is fun, and that's the main charm of superhero/es movies. We've seen so many "beginnings" superhero movie which are very enjoyable, how they got their powers, their sense of fashion and a moral lesson they learn. This recipe seems to work, the hard part is how to stay on the bar or above it. (Look at Iron Man 2)

With such reviews around and $ making potential in a sequel/s, I'm sure a X-Men Second Class and for that matter, Third Class is in the planning and works. Let's just hope the quality of the sequel doesn't become second class and third class as it goes. If you haven't seen it, hurry! Before the other upcoming summer blockbusters reduces  your chance of catching it in the theatres.



Score : 4/5

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Playstation Vita !!!

The original, grey colored Playstation was my first video game console. It was Sony's first foray into gaming using CD as the media, not cartridges which require blowing if the game does not load :D

Still remember my happiness when I finally got my own, after much bartering with my old man about the T&C leading to the purchase. Played it to death, literally(the console's). Then the widely popular Playstation 2 utilising the DVD format. This is another console which requires me to perform up to a certain standard to own. The current Playstation 3 is Sony's current generation console, using the blu-ray medium.

But enough of that, I'm sure many of you know what a PSP is as you can see many owners playing away in the MRT. At E3 2011, Sony just announced the successor to PSP, previously named "Next Generation Portable"(NGP), it is now officially called the "Playstation Vita", or PSV ? :) Wonder how many parents who intends to surprise their kids will get the wrong machine, I mean, PSP and PSV?

"Vita" means "life" in latin, and from Sony, the aim of the machine is to " blur the lines between interactive entertainment and reality" ?_?

 It sports 

- 5-inch multi-touch organic light emitting diode (OLED) as the front display

- Two analog sticks

- a touchable "ass" (a multi-touch pad on the rear)

- dual cameras 

- GPS

- six-axis motion sensors 

- three-axis electronic compass

"Check out my ass, Go on, you can touch it"

Oh, just to show how much a competitor is the iPhone and iPad is to the portable console market, this is available in Wifi and 3G/Wifi version, at the price of USD$249 and $299 each. One of Sony's marketing features of PSV is it's ability to connect to social media and well, play games. How is it going to do that? I guess we'll have to wait till the product is out end of this year. But seriously, I want it to play games, as is it's original identity and function. I am just curious about how they are going to make any revolution in gaming with 2 touch screens, or will it be left untouched?


source : kotaku.com, http://blog.us.playstation.com/ 

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Broaster's Chicken

Another fried chicken place. Nothing can really beat the taste of crispy birds that are born to be fried. It increases our body fat percentage and happiness at the same time :)

My first sighting of Broaster's Chicken is in a 7-11 in Seng Kang besides the cashier (what?!), now it's finally opened in as a full fledged restaurant in Serangoon Nex Level 1.
*Warning, the pictures in this post are taken with an iPhone 3GS*

Ordered

Turkey drumstick set with 2 sides : $6.90( wedges and coleslaw)

What? Isn't it Broasters Chicken? Why turkey? 


Well, this turkey drumstick really catches the attention of me and my friends due to it sheer size (I do know turkeys are bigger birds than chicken), but the thought of a giant (hopefully crispy) drumstick turns me on. The  sight of a few dining-in customers grabbing the drumstick and eating it cavemen-style intrigues me too :D

When it arrived, it came sitting on a small tray, only to make it look bigger. The meaty part of the drumstick is almost as big as a fist.

The meat is not dry as what many would critique turkey for but instead soft and juicy. The skin of the turkey is not like KFC's Hot n'Crispy but more similar to the original recipe. I do not know how many herbs and spices they use but this recipe works. Broasters is just simple fried bird, and simple doesn't mean it's bad, it's good.

Score : 4/5

Wedges are crispy with just the right hint of flavor and not too salty like some place do them. 
Coleslaw is pretty generic. But again, generic coleslaw is pretty awesome for me.

Score : 4/5
Drinks which are the usual soda is DIY just like subway. 

Overall
For $6.90 a set, this turkey drumstick is filling, none too expensive and yet tasty. Broaster said that their chicken, or turkey for that matter, is cooked in a pressure fryer. Boy do the birds they use work well under pressure. Somehow I don't see it as a strong competitor against KFC nor Popeyes chicken. Maybe due to lack of marketing or appeal. The decor of the restaurant is plain and boring, but who cares if the food is competitively priced and affordable?


Broaster Chicken (Nex) (Nex to Macdonalds :P)
23 Serangoon Central
#B2-02/03/04 Nex
Singapore 556083

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Molly Malone's Irish Pub

Fish & Chips, it's probably the most acceptable food among the young and old. My grandma likes a Fish & Chips, so do my old man, and so do I. Part of it's charm is probably due to it's simplicity and the fact that it's fried. I am saying I do like my fried stuff, as waistline-increasing as they are, I tell myself that I'll run it off next time. 

Enough about my own thoughts, Fish & Chips is a very safe choice if you are stumped and do not know what to order. You can find this dish everywhere, from the western food stalls in a canteen, coffee shop, to restaurants. Who knows one of the better ones are to be found in a pub? I have heard about Molly Malone's famous Fish & Chips for a while, and being a lover of this dish, I finally got to try it out.

Ordered 

Molly Malone's famous Fish & Chips     

Some consider a good Fish & Chips to ONLY be fried in batter, and not breaded. Me? I do not draw any lines, s'long as it makes me go "Mmm~", it's good. When it's served, I am impressed by the volume of food. 4 pieces of fish and a hearty amount of fries who look like wedges.

The batter is crispy and the fish soft and fresh, simple words of joy for a simple dish. But, maybe I caught the cook on a bad day(?), the fish inside, though fresh is very very tasteless. The tartar sauce helped to add flavor to it but for those who hate sauces, it might not be that nice for them. Fries are ordinary fries except they look like wedges.

Score : 3.5/5

Cottage Pie Chicken Mushroom Pie     

First thought when I got the dish is, "What the......That ain't cottage pie......Maybe their's is different.". When I lift the edible lid(pastry)......

You've been Punked!

"That ain't chicken......" So I got a Chicken Mushroom Pie instead of a cottage pie.


The mushroom sauce is watery and almost tasteless, and so is the chicken that is supposed to be braised. Maybe this is cause I am expecting a cottage pie instead of this, Nah~ This pie is really really ordinary. Ups for presentation, but nothing for taste.


Score : 2.5/5


Overall
The pub has got 2 levels, and every Wed, Thurs and Fri from 9pm onwards there's live performance. You can proceed to the second level if you want to enjoy your food and not trying to read lips.


I will probably go back to the pub for a 2nd try for the Fish & Chips, cause I do think I might have went there on a bad day.

Molly Malone's Irish Pub & Brasserie

Address:
	56 Circular Road Singapore 049411

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:D First post

Hi

Welcome to this little blog of mine. I'll mainly be blogging about food, but occasionally I might throw in a few other stuff like movies and/or anything noteworthy.

Currently, there ain't no fixed format as to how I'm going to write it, but I'll try my best to keep it short (who likes to read a super long post about anything?) and simple.

Lastly, I will try to keep the updates trickling in. I hope you enjoy your time here.

All reviews posted are just my opinion/s on the subject matter.

TwK

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