alexis blogs: February 2013

Brunch Buffet Review: The Square at Novotel Clarke Quay

February 24, 2013

I am back once again to The Square at Novotel Clarke Quay, this time to try out their NEW Weekend Brunch! It's available on Sundays from 12-3pm for $68++ for adults (without free flow alcohol). The last I visited was in June last year!

It's rather quiet on a weekend morning at 12.30pm when I arrived. If you are sick of dealing with the weekend crowds at hipster places fighting for a place to have some food, visit The Square. It's only a 10 minutes walk from Clarke Quay MRT!

What will greet you at the start of the line will be crustaceans. Plenty of them. Anybody can have eggs for brunch, but mini lobsters and oysters?

From what I heard, the oysters that day were really fresh! It's always a good deal to have oysters at a buffet.

And of course, the ham, and all the usual goodies that are available for dinner buffet were still around.

Including the giant gammon ham. Perfect with some bread!

Here's what I took for my first round. Some salads, a bit of ham, and some sashimi.

They were delicious.

I did however requested also for some scrambled eggs (it's brunch!) and a savory crepe freshly made by the staff! The eggs were so nicely done. When I lamented to the chef how I don't think I'll ever make as great scrambled eggs as that, he laughed and said I just need to practice more! I agree.

I was in love with the crepe. To me it was the highlight of the brunch! It had bits of cheese, bacon, and an awesome sauce. You can go to the crepe station, and pick out your ingredients be it savory or sweet, and they'll make it for you. I would imagine the nutella crepe to be great as dessert as well.

Another staple has to be their cheese risotto which was perfect as usual.

We also had a bowls of laksa to share. The laksa they have is really good! Piping hot with the right amount of spiciness.

By then I was kinda stuffed.. I don't think my stomach's that demanding in the day. So I ended it off with some fruits dipped in the giant chocolate fondue, and cheese.

Lastly, the sleeper hit of The Square - the Durian Pengat. It's just durian cream/mousse, to be honest. But it is THE durian cream. It's as good as having some fresh durian off the seed, but all plucked out and ready for you to enjoy with a spoon! The added cream also made it almost like a room-temperature ice cream. I can't believe I did not try this the last time, but I'm glad I did because now I can recommend it to you! If you or anyone you know are big durian fans, bring them here!

Excellent place for brunch if there's a special occasion (like your parents' birthdays or family celebration). The price is a bit hefty, but it is a buffet with a lot of seafood after all! Do remember to try the items I highlighted and you won't be disappointed!

The Square

177A River Valley Rd, 7th Floor Novotel Hotel, Singapore 179031

+65 63383333

Thanks John for the invited food review by Novotel Clarke Quay!

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Tag food photos with #DoGoodWithFood for charity!

February 09, 2013

food review

Food Review: Nana's Green Tea Cafe at Plaza Singapura #03-80/82 Singapore 238891

February 02, 2013

Do you like green tea?
Do you like matcha? Especially those imported from Kyoto?
Do you like Japanese food?

If you like any of them, Nana's Green Tea Cafe is for you!

Despite the name, they actually have more than just green tea - they also offer the widest selection of Japanese cuisine among all the branches of Nana's Green Tea in the world. The brand is so popular in Japan it is known as the "Japanese Starbucks". In Singapore, this is the largest and only branch, situated at the newly opened Atrium @ Plaza Singapura.

I was invited by the kind folks from Nana's to try out their lunch, so I visited the place last Friday during lunch. There's some crowd, but what I like is that it is so spacious, there was none of that lunch time madness that you see in CBD.

The square partitions in this cafe that 'hangs' around the table is designed as a modern interpretation of the Japanese tea room - where there's some form of privacy between each table. Very thoughtful and innovative!

Looking at the menu was quite the headache because there is SO MANY things to choose from! What's interesting is that the matcha drinks and desserts come first. Followed by mains, and then appetizers. It's B&F instead of F&B. Cute!

There's things such as the Matcha Parfait, which looks like a heavenly monster of a dessert.

On to the lunch! There were so many matcha drinks to choose from, and I ultimately chose the most sinful looking one - the Matcha Kuromitsu Latte ($8) which comes with whipped cream and caramelized brown sugar syrup. It was so good because the slight bitterness of the matcha was countered with the light creamy taste and the strong brown syrup, so there's a progression of taste as you slurp it from below upwards.

Next, a favorite that my fellow food blogger friend Ms-Skinnyfat had raved about - the Salmon Carpaccio ($8.80)!

It was really satisfying and whetted my appetite as the starter. The thick slabs of salmon with a light oil and lemon sauce was topped with the distinctive taste of sesame that harmonized well with the fish.

Since it was just the 2 of us, we ordered 2 mains to share. They are based on the friendly Restaurant Manager's recommendation!

First up is the very unique dish of Ebi Goma Dare Udon ($14.80) which is in fact cold udon noodles with prawns, avocado and cherry tomatoes in Nana's special sesame sauce.

This means your noodles will come to you chilled. Which I really like. For some strange reason, I actually generally prefer my food cold. This noodle dish was indeed as unique as the manager said, because of the sesame sauce! It was creamy with a light touch of both salty and sweet and rather thick. I wonder if I would indeed be able to finish it all by myself, because the sauce might make it a bit overwhelming in large portions. But to share there's no problem. The udon noodles was springy and tasty.

The next mains we shared was another star item - the Locomoko Don ($15.80). Beneath the tomato sauce, you see there's a beef patty which goes on top of Japanese rice and garnished with lettuce, tomato, broccoli and sunny side up egg.

Though I prefer the noodle dish over the rice, I can see why some people will like this. The beef patty was really soft and minced, and quite flavorful. The tomato sauce goes well when mixed with the rice. It seems like a MOS rice burger, dismantled and placed in a bowl! Very filling and value for money.

By then, I was rather full already but there's always room for dessert! I zoomed in to the Matcha Anmitsu ($8.80), because green tea ice cream with green tea jelly just sounds so delicious! There's some sort of black beans in there which I don't recommend you eat. I didn't care much for the white glutinous balls in there too. But the creamy ice cream mixed with the red bean dollop was so good. The green tea jelly was not konnyaku style as I hoped, but the crunchy type of agar agar jelly.

I also poured the caramalized brown syrup over it to sweeten it a little, or the jelly itself is sugar-free. I really liked this dessert and wouldn't mind just stepping into the cafe during some weekend shopping just to share this with a friend!

Good news! There is currently a February Lunch Set Promotion. During weekdays 11.00AM to 2.30PM, you can get any main course and drink (valued $8 and below) for only $13.90!

*GIVEAWAY*

Also giving away 5 lunch sets (valued $13.90) each. All you have to do is Like Nana's Green Tea Facebook Page, and leave a comment on this post on which matcha drinks or dessert from Nana's would you most want to try, and your email address (Facebook email add also can)! First 5 to comment wins. Closes Tues 19 Feb 23:59.

T&C:

• Voucher must be redeemed by 15th March 2013 (Date might be later, TBC)

• Valid from Monday to Friday, 1100AM to 230PM

• Voucher must be presented to the staff upon ordering

Pleasantly surprised to find quality food in a cafe that seem to only serve desserts. I would recommend this place to anyone who's sick of queuing for Japanese food elsewhere. Prices are slightly high so check it out during lunch first if you can. Otherwise, it is still quality that you're paying for.

Nana's Green Tea Cafe
The Atrium @ Orchard, #03-80/82
Plaza Singapura, 60B Orchard Road, Singapore 238891
Monday-Sunday: 11am-10pm, last order: 9.30pm
+65 66844312

Brunch Buffet Review: The Square at Novotel Clarke Quay

Tag food photos with #DoGoodWithFood for charity!

Food Review: Nana's Green Tea Cafe at Plaza Singapura #03-80/82 Singapore 238891

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