Empire State (Cafe)
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I've passed Empire State (Cafe) numerous times, but never really got around to dining here till recently. 
 
The best thing about Empire State (Cafe) is that for the same price you'll pay for a meal at other cafes, you get nearly double the amount of food in 1 serving. Great value for money.


Empire State (Cafe) has pretty decent western style food, just that it comes super-sized. The table next to mine had 3 guys sharing 1 huge burger and fries!


I liked the BBQ Ribs, reminds me of the St. Louis style BBQ ribs, tender and comes off the bone easily, while the tangy BBQ sauce gives a savory kick. 


The Herb Roasted Maple Glazed Chicken was bathed in an addictive brown sauce. The maple syrup in the sauce had just that hint of sweetness. The chicken meat was still juicy within. Delicious!

Looking forward to try some of their other dishes next time!

BBQ Ribs

Herb Roasted Maple Glazed Chicken

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Update (Aug-2012): I had a good experience dining at the former Empire State (Cafe) outlet at Iluma, and this new outlet carries the torch well.

Ambience is still styled after American road side diners, with large comfortable seats, and quirkey decor.

Service is friendly and attentive, and food is served quickly.

Food portions are as large as ever, and still taste pretty good.

I had a craving for Root Beer Float, and the Empire State (Cafe) version didn't disappoint... Large mug of root beer, topped with a generous helping of quality vanilla ice cream... Extremely satisfying!

The Empire State Hot Dog comes with generous toppings of cheese, chili sauce, mustard, chili beef sauce, and onions. The sausage was quite long, at 12 inches (!), but is factory made, which resulted in a lower overall taste. The 10 inch bun would have been better if it was toasted slightly.

Root Beer Float 01

Root Beer Float 02

Empire State Hot Dog 01

Empire State Hot Dog 02

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 01

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 02

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog 03

Corn Dog 01

Corn Dog 02

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White Dog Cafe
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The best thing about White Dog Cafe is their location, on the second floor of VivoCity, overlooking the Sentosa bridge and the Harbour. If you get a window seat, you'll have a fantastic view while you dine. 




Unfortunately, White Dog Cafe is let down by its food and service. 




That's not to say that White Dog Cafe food or service is terrible... just that it's average. But in a location like VivoCity, surrounded by top quality restaurants and cafes, competition is stiff. And in this location, being merely 'good' may not be good enough.


The closest I can come to placing the theme of White Dog Cafe is 'Western Food'. Unlike some of the other restaurants nearby which offer 'Seafood', 'Brazilian', 'Spanish', 'Indian', etc; White Dog Cafe menu is a mix of European and American influence. 


Food is decent, and so are serving sizes. However, for the price, you could get better meals at other restaurants and cafes around the area. 


Service is average as well, and is slightly better during non-peak service hours. 


Nothing in particular would attract me to return, or cause me to want to travel here just to dine... And that for me, is where White Dog Cafe has failed.


Probably the only reason I'll eat here again is if the other restaurants or cafes were crowded.

Sausage Combo With Grilled Chicken

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The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC)
80 Middle Road
#01-92 Bugis Junction

15 Beach Road
#01-01 Beach Centre

51 Circular Road

Blk 3E River Valley Road #01-01

9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-44 Millenia Walk

80 Bencoolen Street
#01-17 NAFA

1 Marina Boulevard #01-01

182 Orchard Road
Peranakan Place Complex

1 Kim Seng Promenade
#01-29 Great World City

5 Raffles Place
#B1-63 Raffles Xchange

1 Raffles Link
#B1-26 Citylink Mall

70 Stamford Road
#01-22 SMU City Campus

350 Orchard Road
Level 2 Isetan Scotts Shaw House

109 North Bridge Road
#01-34 Funan Digitalife Mall

80 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01 The Pier @ Robertson

176 Orchard Road
#01-102 Centrepoint

238 Thomson Road
#01-56 Novena Square

3 Church Street
#01-01 Samsung Hub

4 Robinson Road #01-01

2 Keppel Bay Vista #02-02A

65 Airport Boulevard
#01-22 Changi Airport T3

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-84 The Central

370 Alexandra Road
#01-07 Anchorpoint

3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-025 Suntec City

360 Orchard Road
#01-01 International Building

435 Orchard Rd
#02-18 Wisma Atria

1 Selegie Road
#01-02 PoMo

2 Orchard Turn
#B2-49 ION Orchard

2 Bayfront Avenue
#B2-120 Marina Bay Sands


http://www.theconnoisseurconcerto.com/


Good Coffee But Pricey

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 6
Value for Money: 6
Spent about $10 per person.


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The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) is a nice place to just chill out with friends, and chat over drinks. But dining is another matter... You'll probably get better food at lower prices at other cafes / restaurants.

However, The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) has pretty good coffee and drinks, which I personally feel is much better than other more well-known brands.

The Connoisseur Concerto (TCC) has cute informative little booklets on each table, which I thought was a nice touch.


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English Muffin Two Ways

Toffee Nut And Cinnamon Hug Coffee

Irish Coffee

Shrooms Bite

Tissue

Manuka Angel 01

Manuka Angel 02

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Shogayaki Sauce, Mild Edamame Cream, Onion Roasted Potatoes, Lotus Root Slices And Broccolini 01

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Shogayaki Sauce, Mild Edamame Cream, Onion Roasted Potatoes, Lotus Root Slices And Broccolini 02

Sample Of Tea Menu

Lemon Ginger Green Tea

Melon And Mangosteen Tea

Strawberry Fantasy

Cherry Opera Dome Cake

Scallop, Shrimp & Shimeji Mushroom Baked Rice

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Tim Hawkins Handbook Official Worship Signals


From the Tim Hawkins Handbook, a humorous take on official worship hand signals, in a totally non-denominational format. 














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Island Creamery
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You have to hand it to the folks at Island Creamery, who cracked their heads and came up with creative ice cream flavors based on local favorites, such as Teh Tarik, Pineapple Tart, Tiger Sorbet, Bandung, etc. 


Island Creamery proudly declares that they don't serve they usual Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla flavors of ice cream. Their ice cream flavors and desserts are all made in-house. 


Other popular flavors of ice cream at Island Creamery include Burnt Caramel, Apple Pie, and Ping Pong Milo. 


Do try their Baked Alaska and Mudpies too!

Baked Alaska

Ice Cream ReversO, Pineapple Tart With Brownie

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O'Coffee Club
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When I visit O'Coffee Club, I generally only order their coffee and desserts. Most of the time, I go with the Muddy Mud Pie. 


O'Coffee Club Muddy Mud Pie is huge, and sinfully decadent. It's large enough for 2 to share, and covered in chocolate fudge. 


Otherwise, the food at O'Coffee Club is generally not worth the money, for the same price, you'll be better off dining at other cafes.

Banana Butterscotch Latte

Muddy Mud Pie

Apricot Passion Fruit Heaven

Berry Latte

Berry Latte Again

Gooey Chocolate Monkey Tart

Basil Pesto Snapper With Clam Chowder Linguine

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Ice Cream Chefs
12 Jalan Kuras

520 East Coast Road
#01-06 Ocean Park

http://www.icecreamchefs.com/


Cutesy, Eccentric Ice Cream Joint

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 8
Spent about $7 per person.


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Trending on the "Mix stuff into your ice cream craze", Ice Cream Chefs boasts a few unique flavors, such as Mrs Smith (Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream with Cinnamon) or Kaya Lotee (Pandan Kaya Ice Cream with Bread Crumbs).

Started by 2 enterprising friends, as a party and catering ice cream business, Ice Cream Chefs has since expanded into the traditional retail outlets. They make their flavors in-house, and also offer quite a good variety of mix-ins, although their ice cream is good enough on its own. 

Ice Cream Chefs seems to place more effort to blend various fruit flavors into their ice cream, unlike some places which might incorporate the fruit in chunks. This gives their fruity flavors a more smooth, creamy finish. 

More on the entrepreneurs behind Ice Cream Chefs can be found here: http://www.soe.org.sg/files/interview2010.php?i=538&a=&c=&year=2010.


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Ice Cream Mrs Smith With Cookie Crisp

Ice Cream Root Beer Float With Waffle Crisp

Ice Cream Passion Fruit Fuz, Chocolate Hersheys With Granola And Waffle

Ice Cream Honeydew

Ice Cream Milky Moo With Cookie Crisp

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Brasserie Gavroche
66 Tras Street

http://www.brasseriegavroche.com/


Excellent French Dining At Reasonable Prices

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $70 per person.


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Heard about this small, husband-and-wife run french restaurant, and when I was looking around for a special place to celebrate her birthday, decided to make a reservation here. I wasn't disappointed!

Tip: Do make reservations before visiting, as the place is relatively small. Also, their waiting list can stretch up to 5 days, so book early. I booked my place 8 days in advance!

Brasserie Gavroche is named after the street orphan Gavroche in the famous musical Les Misérables. However, your dining experience here won't be miserable...

Brasserie Gavroche is tucked away in a small enclove in 66 Tras Street, near the Tanjong Pagar market, and is quite easy to miss. They only have a small signage outside, and no signage on their actual door, so you actually have to be looking for the place to find it.

Ambience is simple, yet elegant, with dim lights perfect for romantic meals, yet bright enough to see clearly. Even during the day, the restaurant isn't that brightly lit, as sunlight can't reach all the way in. The furniture and paintings that adorn the place make you feel as though you've flown to France.

Service is what you'll expect from a fine french dining establishment, professional, attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. They will try to push house recommendations, although if you decline, they will politely accept. Points for authenticity though, as all but 1 of the staff are French, and co-owner Charlotte works the floor as the restaurant manager.

Chef Colin used to be the executive chef of St. Regis Singapore, so the food is excellent. Many of the standout dishes are recipes handed down from his grandfather, Henri, and man, that guy can cook!

Pre-Appetizers include the classic Baguette, and a unique Cheese-Stuffed Bread. The Cheese-Stuffed Bread was moist and cheesy within, and crispy on the outside.

Grandpa Henri's French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’oignon, recette de grand père Henri) was large enough for 2 people to share. Floating on top were 2 cheese and herb covered slices of baguette, which went well with the tangy soup. The French Onion Soup was done well enough to remove the unpleasant pungent odor of the onions, while still retaining the sweetness within. I kept thinking that this would be a great dish to have on cold rainy days, or when feeling unwell!

Grandpa Henri's Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables (Potée Auvergnate, recette du grand père Henri) was filled with Pork Ribs, Pork Belly, and a Pork Sausage. The meat was stewed till tender and came apart easily. The vegetables were still crisp, not overcooked till wilted.

The Pan-Seared Fillet Of Sea Bream With Provençale Ratatouille (Filet de Daurade et ratatouille Provençale) had a crispy outer skin, which I loved, while the meat was still tender. The accompanying Ratatouille was really good as well.

Prices aren't the cheapest, but are quite reasonable, and relatively less expensive than other french restaurants. Hope to try some of their other items soon!


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Napkin

French Onion Soup - Soupe À L’Oignon, Recette De Grand Père Henri

Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables - Potée Auvergnate, Recette Du Grand Père Henri 01

Pork Hotpot With Cabbage And Garden Vegetables - Potée Auvergnate, Recette Du Grand Père Henri 02

Pan-Seared Fillet Of Sea Bream With Provençale Ratatouille - Filet De Daurade Et Ratatouille Provençale

Bread Basket

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Update (21-Jun-2012): Visited again with a close friend for a celebration treat... The menu has been updated slightly, but Brasserie Gavroche still has the same great, friendly service and fantastic french food.

Bread And Butter

Cheese Nibbles

Poached Eggs On Toast With Bacon And Red Wine Reduction - Oeufs Meurette 01

Poached Eggs On Toast With Bacon And Red Wine Reduction - Oeufs Meurette 02

Fish Quenelle With Crayfish Sauce - Quenelle De Poisson Sauce Nantua, Recette De Grand Père Henri

Monkfish Cheeks With Fish Soup And Vegetables - Joues De Lotte Et Soupe De Poissons

Poached Peaches In White Wine With Vanilla Ice Cream And Caramel Crumble - Pêches Pochées Au Vin Blanc Avec La Crème Glacée Vanille Et De Caramel

Reserve a table now @ Brasserie Gavroche

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F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co.
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Met up for shopping with my best friend, and decided to have dinner at F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co.. 


I think F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co. is an interesting new take on their existing brand, and my dining experience here left me wishing they would open more such restaurants. 


Ambience was decent, with a clean, minimalist type of layout and decor. 


I think the service that night was pretty good, I know we bothered the waiter / waitresses quite a few times, with change of seats, menu enquiries, photo requests, payment enquiries, etc. Still, they staff was friendly, and knowledge about ingredients and current promotions. Well worth the service charge! 


We had the free-flow salad bar that night, and F.I.S.H. By Fish & Co. has a decent range of options in their salad bar. The food was fresh, and it came complimentary with our choice of main courses. Some items on the menu come without the free-flow salad bar, although you could pay about $3 to include it. I doubt I would pay extra just to have it though. 


The Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast came with 3 cuts of meat, stacked on top of potatoes. The chicken was nicely tender without being dry, partly thanks to the succulent juicy mushrooms stuffed within. 

It was a bit like having a reverse sauce, instead of the mushrooms covering the chicken and making it soggy, the sauce is within the meat, so biting into a piece releases the mushrooms with the sauce into your mouth. I did find it a little too salty after awhile though. 


My best friend had the Seafood Cannelloni, which looks like a Lasagne, but stuffed with seafood instead of beef. Consisting of  mussels, prawns, and fish, it was extremely delicious. My best friend said she felt like licking the plate clean! 


We shared a Caramel Fudge Cheesecake for dessert, which was rich in texture and quite decadent. 


Will come back and try other dishes next time.

Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breast

Seafood Cannelloni

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