Here's my thing with Hill Street Char Kway Teow - I have been eating it so long I feel there is a huge difference when the old uncle fries vs a younger lady doing it. With a dish like Char Kway Teow it is not about recipe. Fire control, timing and innate knowledge simply cannot be pass on so have it while he is still able to do it....

I only order if I see uncle frying otherwise I eat the fish ball noodle opposite. The fish ball is just damn soft yet bouncy.... good stuff =) Recommended if you are there anyway....

I really can't.

Look,
- it is expensive "hawker food"
- they charge you the moment food comes then ignores unless you want to spend more money
- pork ribs is kind of tough
- soup is so peppery until it numbs the taste buds
- kidney over cooked, liver too...
- The teapot not washed filled with left over leaves from previous tables
- no ambience to talk about

So why the hell is this place so full always??? I must be missing something... Honestly, if you want good kidney and liver go to Bukit Merah Hawker center near Suburbia. The soup is the hokkien dark sauce type. They kidneys and liver are perfect everytime I go. Plus chicken rice also damn cheap hehe.

Prices are within the range with most pizzas 7' going for $7 and pastas going for about $6 or $7 range. To me it aint much of a difference to Pastamania...in fact I consider pastamania a tad better value given the similar price since they provides proper seating space, locates in an aircon space and don't pretend to be "premium" food. The only thing IL Piccolo have is a "celebrity chef", didn't see him cook my pizza in a coffeshop for sure....to me its like pastamania some "asian" cooks slogging behind the counter (how real italian is that???).

Plus they are surely more profitable than Pastamania given the low operating cost of being in a coffee shop...and ingredients used while rather generous are just plain low grade. Normally i wouldn't be too picky with "cheap" food but in this case they try to brand it as "premium" stuff so I can't agree. Furthermore the food is only as "premium" as the equipment and I don't see anything premium there.... It is clearly heartland food for heartlanders just don't pretend about it.

I am no fan of PM so can't say i am too enamored with a (in my opinion) pretentious IL Piccolo either. Sometimes, I wonder why Singaporeans have bought into this "premium food" in heartland idea. The simple truth is there are NO premium Italian fare to be found for $6 period. You might as well cook your own, same instant Barilla(or whatever brand) pasta and some "ragu" sauce, dump in some nice minced beef and mushrooms, garlic, onions, I guarantee a hearty meal for less than $6 per person and you enjoy the essence of a home cooked meal in the comforts of your living room with few friends or loved ones.

Then again....I like to cook and I like to eat so take my rant with a pinch of salt...

Was in the mall for a movie so decided to give this place a try seeing that it is the only place in the mall that I would not mind giving a shot by method of elimination. The selection went like this...Nihon Mura NO!!! PastaMania...No!...Subway...nope...Shabu by Akashi...pass... Rosti... serve too many countries' cusine so pass as well.. No choice lets do Kallang seafood - anyway they say will take seafood dinning to new heights. Well I guess they meant literally as it is on the top floor roof garden of the mall.

Early dinner so only few tables. Service staff very enthusiastic almost like thank god we have something to do... too enthusiastic really. There was this staff that after poured tea just stood by our table not saying anything and we already told her we need to look at menu. The same staff also came to our table multiple times during the meal and just stood nearby... actually too near for comfort. If you want to know how the zoo animals feel during feeding time just ask here to stand next to you while you eat...

So much for blabbering on to the food... ordered chilli crab verdict: too much ketchup until sauce sour so much so that we didn't even use the man tou to dip in the sauce... overall just not a dish i want to order again. So for a seafood restaurant to fail at chilli crab that about sums it up really.

Bamboo clams with garlic - way over cooked the clams became chewy and tasted like overcooked sotong more than anything else... fail

Vegetable with 3 eggs - not a total disaster but nothing worth mentioning either. Had much better...

Portions are all ample so in terms of value ain't that bad...just that too much lousy food doesn't do too much does it?

Actually the overall ambience is pretty decent especially in the outside seating but the food and weird service probably will doom the place unless they improve real fast... Its Roland for me anytime.

Suppose to serve swiss and some European bistro fare here with buffets as well. Came in really late for dinner, a quick glance of the menu revealed a rather expensive place if without feed card i would not recommend stepping in at all. Value rated base on with feed card discount 50%.

Ambience is actually pretty relaxing and quiet, but maybe because it is so late there are no more tables but mine. Service is generally standard by hotel levels and considering the number of tables, I really don't expect any issue. Though I must say due to closing time, servers tend to disappear for long period...not that i miss them though...

Potato Soup $13 is rather salty and heavy on the palate. Would suggest sharing this one because after a few gulps it gets a little jia lat.

Beef Tenderloin $31 is done to specification but other than that nothing to brag about or whine about. A meat that will hardly go wrong.

Mixed Grill $28 is a failure being too dry and tough for most of the meats and in especially small chunks that can be consumed in 2 bites.In fact the overall portion is rather small but if you tab on the free bread and the soup actually enough...

Located in the far east of singapore and pretty much a pain to get to without a car, this seafood cum tze char shop gets my thumbs up for value and decent taste. Ambience is relatively relaxing and upscale compared to most typical ulu seafood/tze chars and service prompt and efficient to most degree considering no service charge = no complains.

Had the following all recommended:

Hokkien Noodles Medium $8 - ok this is nothing like the normal hokkien mee at tze char stall. The noodle is those huge thick types more like udon than the yellow noodles that I am partial to. It is fried in dark sauce so the dish came out looking like a chao tah mess... taste acceptable but not up my alley as i prefer my hokkien mee 1) with the yellow noodles, 2) with sauce rather than dry type as served. Oh they use a lot of fried pork fat thingee - much like char kway teow than hokkien mee actually...

Crispy Roll small $8 - beancurd skin wrapping some fish cake and seafood not bad really and portion huge so a small is actually enough for 4 person such that each can have like 2-3 piece.

Bitter gourd with salted egg $8 - i personally enjoy this dish but you need to eat with rice. They soaked the bittergourd in salt water for a while I guess, as such the bitter taste is almost all gone. Some would argue that it is bad cos they like bitter gourd to be bitter but I am ok with it either way. The sauce is a egg drop and salted egg mix which is not too salty but hearty with rice.

The 3 dishes are enough for 3 adults really and at about $30+, i think it is pretty good value.

To be really honest i have been to this place ever since god knows when but always after some late night drinking so as a disclaimer lets just say i have never had this place without being intoxicated before! It might as well be the alcohol, but food always taste decent and satisfying. No ambience to speak of unless you like the smell of back alleys...

Offers the usual dim sum stuff and opens till after party hours for sure so the next time you are in the vicinity looking for supper after night out drinking this is the place. Most of all the wanton noodles and leong tau hu in the adjoining coffee shop is pretty good too...eh yeas never had it fully sober either...=P

to try a "new" restaurant when the end result is as expected? Well, choice of destination is not always a personal one I guess and running out of "new" places to try in the east side. Anyway, was told that I have to try the salmon belly soup since I almost never eat in fast food sushi places so why not give it another shot.

Salmon belly soup - soup tasteless salmon still have some scales...fail
Natto Handroll - seaweed "lao hong" did not even bother to re-toast, natto ok but I love natto so...
Salmon Avocado Handroll - again seaweed issue
Ikura Handroll - ikura "watery" tasting terrible quality then gain what am i expecting...
Ika sushi - fresh
California Maki - as good as a supermarket one
Ebiko avocado maki (something like that) - terrible so stale had to get it replaced, worst that supermarket times 5. Replacement much better same as supermarket standard.

Rattan chairs seats facing carpark were terribly uncomfortable as it slants backwards. Not ideal for eating but Sushi tei is no chill out place. Service is not spectacular but very standard so not going to complain.

This is a first visit to this chain of restaurant and only after running out of establishment to go to in T3 (sick of C-jade). The decor is made to look like an old Chinese inn from those kungfu movies. Good effort but not up my alley in terms of ambience...bring me back to the modern age please...

Duck is signature here so have to at least order a duck dish. Picked the herbal duck and lets just say the dish is out really fast...From the looks of it, it is a standard roast duck drenched with the herbal sauce which on first sip made me think of "cha ye dan" (eggs boiled in tea leaves).... not sure it is a good or bad thing though i admit I do like cha ye dan....maybe not cha ye duck...otherwise the duck is NORMAL - as good or bad as an average random hawker center roast duck.

The soup is alright but will pick soup restaurant any day if I want to have a decent soup. Veg which i had broccoli and mushrooms is decent as well. I have to say thinking about it this is pretty similar in concept to soup restaurant with a signature BIRD dish and assorted chinese fare....

Overall ok...but didn't make too much of an impression. Service is prompt and efficient considering that there was 8 staff on the floor and only 3 tables they better be....

I don't think it is necessary for me to even describe about the cold ramen as it has been concisely done so in a previous review. Marutama was sold out - believe it or not on the day I went for my ramen (not that I would ever eat there again). Santouka was doing brisk business as well.

I certainly don't like to pay for ramen (where the cooking effort and price doesn't at all tally) and I had to be dragged to Central for this...but $14++ actually ain't too bad for the portion (of course considering we are in Singapore). My only complain is I am not a big fan of the dipping sauce....something about it just doesn't agree my taste profile I guess...that being said, if I have to choose between regular soup ramen or cold ramen (at santouka) I have to say the cold one is a safe/better bet.

Ramen will always be a winter food for me and something that cost very little but gives a whole lot of "comfort" on those cold winter days. As for eat ramen in singapore...eh maybe one day will snow?