Shin Yeh @ Liang Court (River Valley Rd)

Shin Yeh is a Taiwanese-style restaurant located along River Valley Road in Liang Court Shopping Centre. The food selection ranges from casual to mid range. They have a wide variety of ala carte dishes (including dim sum) but my party of 4 decided to go for one of the set meals (pictured below).

Eight Immortals

Presentation befitting of the Eight Immortals. However, it's quite messy for everybody to split each type of dim sum into halves. Majority of them had succulent prawns and each were individually richly filled. 

Double Boiled Soup (presumably changes daily)

I believe this was snow fungus and papaya soup? Quite a pleasant soup that was turned out more savory and did not go overboard with the flavoring.

Braised Sliced Garoupa with Eggplant and Beancurd served in Hot Pot

This was a filling dish as it came with a generous helping of fish and brinjal (and other vegs) in a stew. The fish was thankfully boneless and overall pretty tender. Easily one of the better dishes.

Spicy Fried Shiitake Mushrooms with Fried Garlic and Basil in Hotpot

I used to hate mushrooms with a vengeance due to some of their "offensive" taste but I became okay with most of them in recent years. These shiitake mushrooms are one of them as they taste more like meat with their tender (but not overly chewy) texture. Helps that Shiitake mushrooms don't have an overpowering taste. 

Crispy Duck served with Pancake, Sweet Sauce and Spring onions

It's like a pseudo-Peking duck without the crispy duck skin. The meat tasted like a slightly less hard jerky which I felt was quite refreshing. However, the meat tasted a bit cold and lacked the crisp I was expected. The other members of my party were also underwhelmed by this dish. I felt that this dish ended up being a poorer quality Peking Duck.

Fried Rice with Dried Scallop and Turnip

This is some good tasting fried rice. In fact it's one of the better ones I've tasted in a while. Presentation was pretty unique as it was served in a bucket Taiwanese-style (which I didn't manage to get a pic of) before it was split. The turnip and scallop adds a welcome crunch to the dish.

Red Bean Pancake

This was pretty average though I felt it was still too oily for my liking. However, I am biased as I'm usually not fond of desserts. The dessert-lovers in my party didn't really like this dish as well.

General Comments: Shin Yeh has quite a lot of appetizing dishes that "deviates" from the normal Chinese cooking seen in other restaurants. Their selection of dishes is quite varied and the prices are reasonable. I wouldn't really recommend the sets as having the choice of ala carte dishes is better for both value and taste. 

Rating: 8/10 

A side note: Liang Court has a per entry parking fee even on the weekends (like $3.20?) which is pretty good for a place located closer to the city. 

Moi Lum @ Maxwell Rd

Moi Lum is a family-style Cantonese restaurant that has a long history. They have several specialty dishes which I'll highlight later. If you are planning to eat your dinner after 6pm, it's safer to make a reservation as the staff was initially hesitant to give us a table at 530pm despite the restaurant having only one table occupied. 

Fried Salmon Skin with Salted Egg

 Really crispy and a sensible amount of salted egg seasoning. Would highly recommend this as a starter. Price is acceptable.

Pork Belly wrapped with Lettuce

I forgot what the actual name is but this is basically pork wrapped with lettuce. The meat wasn't overly fat but I wasn't particularly fond of the sweetish sauce. A decent choice if you like pork though.

Beancurd and vegetables

Forgot the name and the dish was so-so. Although it's alright if you don't want to overload on meat.

"legendary" Crispy Fried Chicken (Signature Dish)

Easily lives up to its name. The skin was crisp but the meat still remained succulent enough. One of the better roasted chickens around.

Golden Coin Beancurd (Signature Dish)

Strangely reminds me of a fusion between luncheon meat (not necessarily a bad thing) and a quiche. This is really good, as the dish is extremely flavorful. I feel that the density of the "coin" emphasizes the strong flavor and makes the dish seem to be of a higher quality (than if it was less dense).

General Comments:
Quite a quaint place where you can enjoy authentic Cantonese cuisine. I'm generally a fan of Chinese food and this place did not disappoint. Prices were pretty decent as well. Be sure to try the signature dishes. If I recall correctly, the charge for tea is on the high side (which sort of explains why the staff religiously kept refilling our teacups.)

Mitzo @ Grand Park Orchard

Located right across Paragon, Mitzo is a fusion Cantonese and Western restaurant located at Grand Park Orchard. I went for the Signature Set Menu as there was a 1 for 1 credit card promotion.

 Deep Fried Dim Sum Platter

Presentation is really good and the dim sum was pretty good, especially the shrimp (the middle one) which was quite meaty for a pseudo-sushi. The orange slice-looking pumpkin was cute but overly sweet, especially for a dish that came early in the meal.

Winter Melon Soup

Lobster Bisque

Lobster Bisque/Winter Melon Soup

The default soup is the lobster bisque but my party requested for an alternative due to one member having allergies. The lobster bisque was extremely flavorful and a great start to the meal. The winter melon soup was decent but nothing out of the ordinary.

Mitzo Special Barbecued Pork

Mitzo BBQ Pork

 Though the meat was tender and not overly fat, I felt that there was an excessive amount of sugar glaze. But I could be bias since I normally dislike BBQ pork due to the sweetness.

Deep fried prawns with creamy lemon sauce

 Deep Fried Prawns with Creamy Lemon Sauce
Really succuelent and big prawns. I didn't like the lemon sauce due to the sweetness though. However, still a very solid dish.

Over-baked Chilean seabass with lemongrass, chili and spices

Overbaked Chilean seabass with lemongrass, chili and spices

A hefty chunk of fish that was slightly overcooked. However, either than that, it was pretty good. The seasoning was savory and to my liking.

Pan-fried Lamb Chop with enoki mushroom and onion in Xinjiang Style

 Pan-fried Lamb Chop with enoki mushroom and onion in Xinjiang Style
Looks like a lot of meat, but a huge portion of it are bones. The lamb was moderately tender but the seasoning unfortunately was too overpowering. There were too much spices plus at this point, I was too full and decided to dabao this home.

Braised vermicelli with scallops, prawns and codfish

 Braised vermicelli with scallops, prawns and codfish
A standard dish to make sure that the customer is really full. Although I didn't finish this dish, the ingredients were of good quality. The prawn was succulent and the cod was surprisingly not so overpowering (at this point of the meal I wanted something more bland). There were few scallops  and the waiter did not do a good job splitting the portions (mine didn't get a scallop while others got an extra one). A comforting dish but nothing too spectacular.

Chilled avocado milk shake served with fried sesame dumpling

Chilled avocado milkshake served with fried sesame dumpling
The milkshake was really good as the cold creaminess of the avocado soothed my taste buds. It was mildly sweet but a good way to end the meal. The sesame dumpling on the hand was piping hot and had some alcohol inside (think of a sweet thicker-skin xiao long bao with alochol inside). I wasn't a fan of the dumpling mainly because of the overly strong alcohol taste.

General Comments:
Mitzo is really a fusion type of restaurant that has an identity crisis. The interior is really "hip" and Western that is reminiscent of a night club. However, save for the captains, a majority of the service staff were Chinese-speaking foreigners which I found was a bit odd, given that Mitzo is more of a Western pub concept and people like to have drinks at Mitzo.

The appeal of this place is that the environment is designed for people to relax and chill (the seats are basically sofa couches with plenty of cushions) and seems more suitable for casual meals or drinks. I feel that the place's identity is better suited as a pub. Its prices are rather steep and the food quality could be better. However, Mitzo gets A for the presentation of its food and that's one of the appeals of fusion food. Unless you really love fusion and "funkier" food. I suggest waiting for promotions before you visit Mitzo as there are many Chinese restaurants that are better for a lower price.

UNA @ One Rochester (Buona Vista)

 UNA is a Spanish restaurant located near Rochester Mall in Buona Vista in a little "village" of mid to high end restaurants. The ambience of the place is quite quaint as the restaurant is a colonial house with plenty of garden space and outside seating.

Normal bread (complimentary)

Starters: "Generic" Bread
I didn't know that they were serving complimentary bread, otherwise I may not have ordered the Pan con tomate. However, the complimentary bread were of different shapes and sizes, including bread sticks. Most were lightly toasted and was served with olive oil. A pretty good starter, and the bread is refillable.


Price: Complimentary

Pan con tomate

Pan con tomate (Lightly toasted bread with fresh tomatoes & herbs)

The main difference between this and the one above is the tomato "sauce" and the type of bread. This bread is crispier and tastes lighter (not a bad thing). But the highlight is the "sauce" which is not overly thick and provides a comforting "cold" that contrasts well with the warm bread. The tomato is light on the flavoring and is mainly there for the texture.


Price: $11

Pimentos de padron (Sweet Spanish peppers – fried & sprinkled with sea salt)

Quite a good starter if you like vegetables. The crunchiness of the lightly grilled pepper and the sprinkled salt makes this a must-try.


Price: $15

Grilled octopus (Smoky tender grilled octopus on a bed of ratte potatoes with paprika) 

The octopus reminded me of a more tender (and less chewy) abalone. Quite a unique taste. While the octopus was nice to eat and I would recommend ordering this, be warned that this dish's portion is ridiculously small and its price is on the high side. 

Price: $32

Suckling Pig

Suckling Pig (Crispy roast suckling pig served with mashed potatoes & quince jelly)

The skin was exceptionally crispy while the meat was very tender. Portion size is decent (the picture doesn't do it much justice). This is better than My Little Spanish Place's suckling pig.


Price: $38

Pluma Iberica

Pluma Ibérica (Grilled pluma Ibérico pork with a smoky sweet marinade)

It's supposed to be pork but it tasted more like those overly tenderized (and fake-tasting) beef. But to be fair, it was because I didn't like the sweet marinade. I would definitely recommend the suckling pig over this.

Rating: $40

Pluma Iberiuca (left) Pluma Iberica (right)

 Grilled whole sea bass (sea bass slow-grilled with a dry rub of sea salt, garlic, shallots, lemon & green chilli)

The "highlight" of my meal. The sea bass was supposed to be like a baked sea salt type dish but unfortunately it it was uneven salted at certain parts. However, this was compensated by the crisp of the fish skin.  I like eating fish and I would recommend this for anyone with similar taste. This particular fish unfortunately had a fishy smell, but nonetheless was overall still enjoyable.

Price: $55

 Pork belly chop with charred rosemary (Pork belly slow-braised till tender & smoky)

Please don't order this unless you enjoy overly fat meat.

Price: $33

House wine:
The wine glass and the amount of wine given is extremely small. I do not recommend it given its price unless you truly love wine.

Price: $15

Churros & chocolat (Crispy churros with dark chocolate sauce & light honey ice cream)

I've tried quite a few churros in Singapore and this has quite good presentation. Hopefully taste-wise it was quite underwhelming as the inside of the churros were slightly uncooked. The ice-cream and chocolate dip helped mitigate this though. Maybe this batch just happened to be slightly under-cooked.

Price: $14

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Overall UNA is quite a chill place to have a meal and the ambiance is particularly good for dinner. Quality of the food is generally quite good and is representative of Spanish cuisine. However, prices of the dishes are on the high end and the portion sizes are generally quite small.

Prive Grill @ Keppel Bay (Restaurant Week)

Prive Grill @ Keppel Bay (Restaurant Week) 

This is a backdated review of Prive Grill's Restaurant Week meal in October. I'll let the set lunch menu below do some of the talking. 

 Toasted Bread with Olive Oil
The bread came in several shapes and was nicely toasted. Texture was crisp but not too hard. A respectable "appetizer", especially since it was complimentary.

 Toasted Salmon Belly Tartare (Starter 1)
This is a good starter, especially if you're fond of raw fish. The two bread sticks acted as a good "base" to complement the fish. Only qualm I had with this was that the portion size was too small ._. but it is expected since this is only a starter.


Rating: 7.5/10

 Beef Consomme (Starter 2)
This was basically beef stock/clear soup. Although I'm a fan of beef and herbal stuff I felt that this starter was too overpowering. However, it's ideal for someone who wants to slowly savour a starter while waiting for the main course.


Rating: 6.5/10

 300-day Grain Fed Rangers Valley Rump Cap (Main 1)
This was easily the highlight of the meal and it is by far one of the best steaks I've eaten in the past few years. Yes, it was that good, that tender flesh that melts in your mouth. I particularly liked the sauce that complemented the richness of the meat itself. Portion size was decent although I wish I had more.


Rating: 9/10

 Roasted Maine Scallops
Basically a dish with risotto, duck confit and of course the scallops. The scallops was lightly roasted and seasoned, which really brought out the freshness of the flesh. The actual size of the scallop were quite big. The duck confit happily melted in my mouth and was extremely savoury. But I understand that some may have find it as overpowering. Now with the risotto..., erm I guess it was a nice filler to balance out the dish? The risotto was a bit too mushy for my liking.

Rating: 8/10

  Warm Chocolate & Peanut Butter Fondant (Dessert 1)
The chocolate was basically a lava cake with peanut butter filling. As I'm not a fan of peanut butter, I would have preferred chocolate filling. However, the slightly too sweet peanut butter was complemented by the relatively more "bland" vanilla bean ice cream, marrying a wholesome union of hot and cold.


Rating: 8/10

Banoffee Pie (Dessert 2)
As the name implies, it's a pie with bananas and coffee flavoring, topped off with chocolate shavings. I didn't like the mushy bananas in this dessert and I felt that the first dessert was a better choice as this dessert was lacking in flavor and a real identity. Props to the presentation though.


Rating: 7/10

This was a pretty good Restaurant Week meal as I enjoyed all of the dishes and particularly the beef!
The ambiance of the restaurant was suitable for a weekend lunch. The proximity to the yachts and the Keppel Bay exuded a very holiday vibe which made me happier.  If you're interested in trying this place, I would suggest going for dinner instead for the better ambiance. I feel that the lights of the surroundings would liven up the place even more. Highly suitable for a date. However, I must caution anyone who doesn't have a car as this place would otherwise be highly inaccessible without one.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Mak's Noodles @ Westgate

A short post about the newly opened Mak's Noodles outlet at Westgate. I'm guessing that news of its opening traveled quite fast as there was a decent queue at around 5 in the evening. Anyway, the restaurant seating capacity is quite small but at least the turnover rate is pretty high. There wasn't much difference sitting inside the air-conditioned area, felt pretty humid altogether.

Anyway, as "warned" by others, I wasn't too surprised that the portion sizes of the noodles were pretty small. Price-wise per bowl is around 7++ depending on what you ordered. I ordered the Dumpling Noodles, which was enough to feed half a man. The other bowls that were ordered by my party were the same size.

Dumpling noodles

The broth was clear and the noodles were firm with a comforting springiness to it. The beef tendon variant's broth was thicker which I was not too fond of. The dish also came with a decent amount of dumplings (like 3 big ones?) Taste-wise, the dish wasn't anything to write home about.

I was surprised that Mak's Noodles charged both the service charge and GST especially when the place seemed more like a road-side stall that operates like a fast-food chain (without the efficiency).

The mineral water and loh hon gor drink I ordered came absurdly late (right after I finished my noodles), despite me informing the staff members to check on the order earlier. Payment was also made at the cashier. As such, I  was unhappy that I was made for paying the charge for the sub-par service.







Overall rating: 7/10

If they got rid of the service charge, I would probably bump up the rating slightly. The food is decent but definitely not worth the hype, especially if you have to queue a while for it. Although I may return to give a second chance in the distant future to try other dishes like the liver and porridge.

Spizzico @ Westgate

First off, I have to say that Spizzico's pasta is terrible, even my pasta tastes better. The pasta was extremely overpriced for its tiny portion size and the prawns given was stale. Just terrible.

For a restaurant that prices its food as a higher-end Italian restaurant, the ambience is more like a fastfood restaurant. The interior of the restaurant is packed with too many tables with inappropriate decor, making it look like a cheap diner. For the prices that Spizzico was charging, I'm not sastified that I had to fill out my order on a form. If that's the case, why are they charging 10% for service?

 It also didn't help that the staff on the front-line had pretty bad PR. The first thing the manager said to us when we were browsing the menu outside the restaurant was "We serve Italian food" and started explaining what Italian food was. I mean, seriously? Italian food is pretty common and it doesn't help that Spizzico's prices are supposed to reflect its more atas positioning. This manager's comments was a clear insult and inappropriate but I didn't have the energy to pick a fight.

Fortunately for Spizzico, their saving grace was their pizza. Portion size was actually value for its price and the pizza tasted quite good. The junior staff left us a better impression than the manager with their overall better service.

Toasted Italian bread topped with tomato, garlic, oregano, basil & olive oil

 Bruschetta al Pomodoro

Price: $6

Rating: 7.5/10



A pretty decent appetizer, which would probably be hard to mess up. Bread was well-toasted and the toppings were well done.

 Gli Spaghetti Aglio, Olio E Prawn (Spaghetti with King Prawn, garlic, chilli and extra Virgin olive oil)

Price: $22

Rating: 4/10

This is a joke of a dish. Horribly overpriced for  pasta that is probably only sufficient for a girl with a really small appetite.

Not only this, but the  "king" prawns are more like 4 peasant prawns who have been on the farmfields for days without sufficient food to eat. Yes, the prawns were that miserable and stale. I'm shocked that a restaurant can serve a dish like this. The chef should have the decency to inform the staff and customers that the prawns for the day were not good and not serve this dish anyway.

And yes, I can cook better than this for probably a quarter of the cost.

 Spaghetti Alle Vongole (Spaghetti with fresh clams, olive oil, parsley and white wine sauce)

Price: $16

Rating: 6/10

This pasta is more bland than the King prawn variant but that's due to the style of cooking. However, at least the portion size is relatively better for its cheaper price. Comparing the King prawn version, I was basically paying $6 more to replace the clams for 4 peasant prawns (which were stale) with no change to the amount of pasta given.

 Pizza Pollo (chicken, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini)


Price: $15

Rating: 8/10

I think the pizza is 12 inches and it can easily serve 2 people. The crust was not overly thin or thick and the cheese was well-cooked. The unusual toppings of eggplant and zucchini made the dish more balanced. I would highly recommend this dish.

 Salmone (smoked salmon, caper, olives, eggs and fresh basil)

Price: $17

Rating: 7/10

Also 12 inches. The Pizza Pollo is better in terms of taste and value. The tomato-base made the pizza very moist and overwhelmed the smoked salmon. The egg and salmon combo was awkward as well. However, it's still better than the pasta.

Overall, don't order the pasta. Overpriced and not appetizing at all. If you do want to try Spizzico, do try their pizzas as they are pretty good and value for money.

As a food person that eats at a huge variety of places, I have to say that Spizzico's positioning in a suburban place is pretty bad. The pricing is too high (especially the pasta, plus they charge service and GST) for a place that operates and serves food like a casual diner.

Overall rating: 5.5/10 (too expensive with mediocre food, only dish worthwhile trying is the pizza).

Good alternatives would be Saizeriya (extremely economical but decent food) or Spageddies (better food and overall value for money).