Lai Wah Restaurant - Tucked Away Traditional Cantonese Cuisine

Bendemeer
North-East, Singapore
May 2015

In the corner of the quiet enclave called Bendemeer, just minutes away from the scenic Kallang River and the nearby new flats and spanking multi-storey carpark, lies a quiet restaurant tucked away in the throes of time.

External facade of restaurant with its white fluorescent tube lights...

The waitresses here are mostly in their 50s, if not 60s or even older. To them, all the temp staff are usually "Ah Boy", " Xiao Di", "Ah Girl" or "Xiao Mei". Service here is basic, unless you're a regular, that is when they will talk to you mostly non-stop in Cantonese.

Old-style interior with cushioned chairs and curtains with drapes...

The dishes here are traditional Cantonese. Quite a few dishes have since been replicated by other restaurants all over Singapore.

Lai Wah's traditional Roast Chicken recipe since 1963. 
For best taste, dip it in a little of the sea salt provided...

Who says these golden brown mantou can only be eaten with thick crab gravy? 
By themselves, they are freshly fragrant and crispy to the bite. One is definitely not enough...

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Doutor Coffee - An Afternoon With Classy Jazz

Doutor Coffee Singapore 

Marina Bay, Singapore

March 2013

Merlion Wayfarer visited Doutor Coffee in her Sendai trip in 2009. She was charmed by its classy interior, delicious coffee and soothing music then. So it was with much excitement that she looked forward to the opening of a Doutor Coffee outlet in Singapore.

On her first visit to the MBFC dining area last August, the cafe was not opened yet. Today, this was what she saw - A welcoming facade with its familiar black and yellow logo. In the foreground is a Japanese couple ordering at the counter. A Japanese cafe opened by a Japanese and patronized by Japanese. What does it say about its authenticity and quality? 

Clusters of empty tables on a weekend bathed in warm halogen lighting. Comfortable siah...

A mirrored wall with an amazingly authentic-looking bookshelf curtain lines the interior. The music played was smooth jazz with a catchy upbeat rhythm, a la Emi Fujita style...

Complimentary Wi-Fi is provided. The owner was very friendly when Merlion Wayfarer's connection did not work. She actually went to check with her staff whether the connection worked for both Android and Apple OSs and later rebooted the wireless hub. She even waited while Merlion Wayfarer re-tested the connection. Nice! 

It was really no fight when Merlion Wayfarer was at the counter deciding what to order. There were only 40 pieces of the Mille Crepe daily with only 5 pieces left. No prizes for guessing what she ordered! 

To spice up your cuppa, Doutor offers a multitude of choices - Sugar, Syrup, Liquid Lemon and Honey Lemon. Sugar even comes in both 3g and 5g packs. There are even detailed instructions to aid you in your selection... 

This was Merlion Wayfarer's order - Royal Milk Tea (Regular at S$5) and Mille Crepe (S$6). Though initially sceptical of the tea as it came in a tea bag, Merlion Wayfarer was wowed when she opened the plastic lid and found frothed warm milk atop the tea. The fragrance was further enhanced with some sugar...

The rather plain-looking Miller Crepe. Merlion Wayfarer wondered, what's the fuss and the price tag for? 

It was only when she took one forkful of the crepe that she realized the effort required to layer the crepe one on top of each other. And when she bit into it, the toasted sweetness of the caramel was unleashed together with softness of the crepe and the smoothness of the whipped cream. See how each layer of crepe unfolds slowly? Shiok ah!

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The full album is available at:

Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Cafes)

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You Tiao & Soya Milk Just Good Enough For Cravings

Yong He Eating House
Geylang Road
October 2012

Merlion Wayfarer had a craving for soya milk one fine night when she was in the Aljunied area. As it as quite late in the night (11-ish), she opted to go to the 24-hour Yong He Eating House. Located at Geylang Road, this eatery serves mainly refreshments and snacks.

The S$1.10 You Tiao (fried dough stick) was served to us cold and very oily - The oil actually soaked through the white rice paper. The S$1.20 soya milk was cold and thick. Unfortunately, it was quite a small cup and a bit powdery.

This place is good for satisfying cravings, but as a should-think-about-it if you intend to be a regular patron.

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Taiwanese)

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Going To Pieces Over Sushi

Itacho Sushi
Changi Airport T3
East, Singapore
October 2012

Merlion Wayfarer thought that she finally found an Itacho sushi outlet that is not crowded, no queue at all, to be exact. When she ordered her food there, she found out why.

Sushi platter consisting of Smoked Salmon, Botan Shrimp, Roast Duck. The price of each ranges from S$1.20 to S$2.

Merlion Wayfarer was surprised to see her sushi disintegrate when she picked it up. It is really very bad skill for nigiri sushi to disintegrate even before it is being picked up.

In addition, as she was sitting near the counter, she heard about sushi being returned. Luckily, she survived diarrhoea-less this round!

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Local)

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Not-So-Kraze Taste

Kraze Burgers

Marina Bay Sands
South, Singapore
September 2012

Kraze Burger is a casual burger joint that originated from Korea. Kraze Burger was originally spelled this way to elicit a 'craze' for their burgers.

Hmmm, let's see how this turns out...

After a short ten minutes wait, the orders arrived. For the price, the burgers were served plain, with only a macaroni side which tasted somewhat "clinical" with the plain white sauce. It made the big white plate seem empty.

K.B Original Burger (S$11)

The K.B Original burger was served with a standard bun, and as the menu suggests, sandwiched between them were a beef patty, cheese, homemade pickles, lettuce, tomato slices, onions, and the Kraze Sauce (which hardly differed from the usual tomato sauce). The ingredients looked fresh, particularly the lettuce, while the meat patty was tender and juicy. Overall, it was a well-flavoured, and much better than some of the average fastfood joint burgers. Then again, you are paying more than ten dollars for just a burger.

K. Onion Burger (S$14)

The K. Onion Burger came in the wheat bun, which was a "healthier option". This burger had more ingredients within than the Original - crispy onion rings, bacon, honey barbeque sauce, and cream cheese sauce. The bacon made the taste more fragrant, especially with the onion rings.



Service was fairly prompt and professional, but which also depended on which waiter that came by - There were some that were a bit "shortsighted". OK for the experience, but for tastier burgers, Merlion Wayfarer recommends the generic yellow-and-red fastfood brand.

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More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Food - Fusion

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Juicily BBQ-d

BBQ Chicken, Greenwich V Mall

Seletar, North, Singapore

August 2012

 

Grilled Chicken Omelette Rice (S$13.90)

BBQ Chicken's signature olive rice is wrapped in a specially-prepared omelette and then served in a grilled boneless chicken thigh. The sauce is generous, and tinged with some mushroom flavour. Omelette tasted a bit plastic, being less fluffy than the others.

 

 

Char Grilled Smoked Duck (S$17.90)

This dish consisted of two huge chunks of duck the size of two fat tubes of ham. The skin was layered with a huge lining of fat but grilled to a crispy golden brown colour. When bitten, the juice of the succulent meat simply oozed out. Absolutely the most delicious duck ever!

 

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Korean)

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Niigata Ishikawa Fair At Isetan Scotts

Niigata Ishikawa (新潟石川) Fair
Isetan Scotts
Orchard, Singapore
19-28 October 2012

 

Merlion Wayfarer was an early bird on the first day of the Niigata Ishikawa (新潟石川) Fair. As most of the Japanese stallholders had just arrived, they were very enthusiastic and full of rah-rah when promoting their wares. There was an absence of cheesecake and milk products this round. Instead, there were many other exotic products...

(Source : Isetan)

Adorable decorated mini-pumpkins at S$6.90 each....

 

 Long-legged crabs accompanied with a "I Love Crab" cartoon notice...

 

"Gold Pork Cutlet Curry" and "Gold Omelet Curry" at S$16.50 and S$14.50 respectively. Nothing discernibly "gold" though...

 

The most popular stall there with a queue for bar seats at for ramen...

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Japanese)

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Not-Romantic Katsu

Romankan Yokohama (浪漫館横滨) Cafe
Takashimaya Food Court, Ngee Ann City
Orchard, Singapore
September 2012

 



There was a limited choice of bentos to choose from - Fillet Katsu Bento (S$13) and Ebi Fry Bento (S$16.50) are displayed here, together with add-ons like Fillet Katsu (S$3.40), Ebi Katsu (S$4.20), and Rose Katsu (S$6.70).

 

Merlion Wayfarer chose the Fillet Katsu Bento. The batter was not as flaky as she preferred, and the dish came with fries and rice - too filling for most. A little touch of seaweed or sesame sprinkled atop the rice will be nice.  

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Japanese)

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Pecori's Original Omu Rice

Pecori (ﾍﾟｺﾘのオム)

Medi-Ya Food Court, Liang Court

River Valley, Singapore

October 2012

Merlion Wayfarer chanced upon this big poster as she was entering the supermarket and decided to venture within.

 

Pecori is a newly-opened stall in Medi-Ya Food Court. Located in the basement of Liang Court within the supermarket compound, it is opened by a Japanese gentleman with two Japanese helpers.

Comfortable seating in quiet surroundings, even on a Saturday night...

 

She opted for the Original Omu Rice at S$7.80. It was served with a huge amount of tomato sauce and some mashed potato mixd with cucumber. Initially thought to be a steal, Merlion Wayfarer was disappointed to find out that "Original" meant just plain tomato rice in an omelette. And with the excessive amount of tomato sauce, it was a bit hard to palate. Especially since the price tag meant that she could have gotten a don at a neighbouring stall with more ingredients.



 

This was the complimentary cake that came with any rice order as part of the opening promotion. It was a light custard cake on a fragrant pie crust.

 

Hmmm... If Merlion Wayfarer were asked to return for seconds for the rice, likely no, unless she tries the other Omu Rice options. But for the cake... Hey it was certainly worth considering!

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Japanese)

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Calorie-Intensive Drink Bar & Invisible Chicken

Saizeriya, City Square Mall

Little India, Singapore

October 2012

Saizeriya changed its lunch promotion recently. Instead of its $3.90 pasta and $4.40 doria, it now offers salad and drinks with selected main dishes from S$5.90. Considering that the Drink Bar is worth S$1.50 (lunch price) and Small Green Salad at S$2.40, it is well worth the price.

Salad with an overdose of mayonnaise which can be quite jelak...

The Drink Bar includes sweetened drinks like Sjora, a plethora of soft drinks, e.g. Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Mug Rootber, hot tea, and Nescafe choices, e.g. Latte, Cappucino.

Chicken Doria with hardly-visible minced chicken, but a tasty white sauce...

   

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Royal Pudding Sweetness

Paris Baguette Cafe
Wisma Atria
Orchard, Singapore
October 2012

 

During today's visit, Merlion Wayfarer noticed these bottles on a raised disc near the glass display cases. The name displayed there was "Royal Pudding". Looks more English than either French or Korean, especially with the striped round boxes.
 

Hmmm... These exotic bottles come in "Royal Pudding (Mango)" at S$4.50 and "Royal Pudding (Original)" at S$4.

 

This is how the original looks like magnified. The taste was distinctly milky. Instead of mixing (and messing) up the whole bottle, Merlion Wayfarer preferred leave the thin caramel layer right to the very end, and left the cafe with the sweet taste lingering in her palate...

 

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Cafes)

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Baked Breads Simple & Exotic

Paris Baguette Cafe
Wisma Atria
Orchard, Singapore
September 2012

 

Merlion Wayfarer so enjoyed the experience at Paris Baguette that she was back within the same month to snuggle into the armchair there.

 

Baked breads which range from the Korean Bulgogi Sandwich at S$6 to a plain Baguette at S$3...

Simple croissants go at S$2.50 while more exotic ones like the Cheese Half Pan is at S$3.50 and the Italian Chicken Calzone at S$3.60...

 

A heated fragrant Chocolate Croissant coated with glaze to make it so much more appetizing.
With the first bite, the glaze gave the crust an initial sweetness before the flakiness of the layer bread sets in. The chocolate filling was visible, could have been more ample...

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Cafes)

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Hair In The Salad

8 Degrees Taiwanese Bistro (八度空间)

North-East, Singapore

June 2012

8 Degrees recently moved to a new location in the North-East after the media publicity over parking space along Yio Chu Kang Road.

At that time, due to the new opening, they were offering set meals in bento boxes as a promotion. Merlion Wayfarer ordered a "8 degrees mango fish box" at S$9.80 - A fish bento set that came with soup and tea.

The thick and sweet mango sauce complimented the crispiness of the fish batter. There was an 3/4-boiled egg and some salad. Two mini Taiwan sausages added a nice touch to the cheap plastic box.

Halfway through her meal, Merlion Wayfarer was quite horrified to find a hair in the salad. Instead of replacing the entire set, the owner replaced just the salad with another type.

Oh horrors of horror... Even though the service was good, with an endless supply of plain water, find such gross things in the meal was a no-no for Merlion Wayfarer. Yikes...

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Taiwanese)

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Of Bubbled Skin & Flaky Batter

Tontei, Shokutsu 10

Nex, Serangoon

Singapore

July 2012

Tontei is one of the best places Merlion Wayfarer knows for tonkatsu.

Fried chicken with bubbled skin. Ultimate crunchy skin that is absolutely unforgettable! Grind the sesame on the grooved bowl with the wooden club, and pour it into your rice and the tonkatsu sauce for a fragrant dip...

 

Set meal (add S$7.50) with sashimi, miso soup, rice, fruit, and pickles. Free flow of salad. Pork loin is juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The marinate permeates through to the core of the succulent pork slices. The batter flakes off as you bite into the crispy crust...

 

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Japanese)

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French-Korean Bakery Arrives In Singapore

Paris Baguette Cafe
Wisma Atria
Orchard, Singapore

September 2012

 

Paris Baguette Cafe opened its first outlet in Singapore earlier this year. It now occupies the former Din Tai Fung's unit on the second floor of Wisma Atria.

 

Bright blue lighted logo which is visible from the ground floor and across the other side of the building...

Delicious range of cakes which cost between S$8-11 a piece, including apple-look-alike "0248 Peach" at S$9.50...

 

Walnut Rye Pain De Mie at S$6.50 (Ouch?)...

A simple yet tasty Mushroom Brioche. It was served with metal cutlery on a piece of exquisite brown-patterned paper...

 

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The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Cafes)

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