Han's Cafe

Last visited: 1 May 2007

Came here to have lunch with mum. We ordered the Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce and Grilled Dory Fish set meals. We both like their ambience as well as the affordable prices they offer for a set meal. It makes me feel so comfortable to eat at this place. :)

Comments: The chicken chop is nice, tender and juicy. It comes with boiled baby carrots and hashbrown as sides. However, there is slightly pink colour in the meat as I ate, indicating that it was not thoroughly cooked. As for the grilled dory, the meat is so soft that it comes off automatical even before you cut it. The meat is firm and fresh. Yet maybe the seasoning to get off fishy taste (鱼腥味) is not strong enough, I can still feel the natural stinky taste of the fish. But I am also glad that they have provided us with the lemon that makes the fish smell pleasant once again after you squeeze the lemon juice on it.

Location

Han's Cafe (Century Square)

2 Tampines Central

Singapore 529509

Ratings (Total of 5 points)

Taste: 3.5

Quality: 4.0

Presentation: 4.0

Ingredients: 4.0

Price: $$$ (S$7.80-S$13.80 nett for a set meal--soup of the day, coffee/tea or orange juice, fruits)

OVERALL: 4.0

Other remarks: There are many Han's Cafe all over Singapore and they all offer reasonable prices for a good quality western meal. I have scanned through their menu and I realise their best bargain seemed to be on their breakfasts, which comes with a toast and drink at only S$4.80...even cheaper than Mac for a true English breakfast like scrambled egg and omelete. Sounds good isn't it? *wink* ;) Hahaha...think I will have it soon some day... :P

Ichiban Boshi

Last visited: 30 April 2007

The last time I had tried Ichiban Boshi was like 2 years ago and there was nothing much special about it. Yet today when I tried it again, I realised that they have come up with so much more varieties of sushi that I couldn't really decide on which to take! And their design and presentation looks juz so yummy! Hahaha...if not for the discount I have from Sakae, maybe I would consider chaning to Ichiban from now on whenever I have a craving for Japanese food...lol

Comments: The sushi is fresh and their designs (the way they present on the plates) look very attractive. Some of the maki come in a bigger portion and it is more value for money if compared to its close competitor Sakae, which offer sushi at the same price but for those special maki it will be at $6.50. There are lots of combinations of sushi to choose from as well. This is one of the Japanese restaurants that I have found to have such a big range of sushi. To me, it is like Sushi Tei kind of sushi (also lots of variety and of super good quality) combines with Sakae price (affordable reasonably low prices for sushi).

My mum and I have ordered their Salmon Sashimi as well as their new Pork Mushroom Soup. The soup taste great with the fresh big pieces of mushroom in it. It makes my body feel so warm after eating all the cold sushi. However, the salmon sashimi is not as fantastic as I thought it would be. No doubt that the salmon used is very very fresh and of good quality, it wasn't totally cleaned off from its scale as I have chewed on a few pieces. If you like your salmon meat to be fat and juicy like I do, Ichiban Boshi ones are slightly less fat compared to Sakae. Their prices are actually the same if you do your maths: Sakae red plate S$6.50 (for 5 pieces); Ichiban Boshi sashimi (S$5.30 for 4 pieces; S$9.00 for 7 pieces). Hence, both calculated to be = S$1.30/piece. So it is just more of your preference on which restaurant you like more. :)

Location

Ichiban Boshi (Esplanade)

8 Raffles Avenue

#02-14 Esplanade Mall

Singapore 039802

Tel: 6423 1151 Fax: 6423 1011

Business Hour:

Sun - Thurs: 12.00nn - 10.30pm (Last order at 10.00pm)

Fri & Sat: 12.00nn - 11.00pm (Last order at 10.30pm)

Ratings (Total of 5 points)

Variety: 5.0

Presentation: 5.0

Quality: 4.5

Freshness: 4.0

Price: $$ (S$1.90++ for normal plates; S$5.30++ for special plates)

OVERALL: 4.5

Other remarks: The other restaurant I have been to are at Wisma Atria and Suntec. Yet I find this one at Esplanade the best because of its beautiful night view of the Singapore river and the CBD area. They also have big cushion sofas for the big groups at the bigger table. You can expect a very cozy and comfortable dinning experience here... :)