Taiwanese food @ Xin Wang Cafe, Singapore

Yeah, crazy, but I had Taiwanese food in Singapore during my business trip there recently.
Speaking of which, it has been two years since my last trip to Singapore and I really do missed the place! (I've always been fond of Singapore =)


Xin Wang Cafe is a chain restaurant outlet found in a few of Singapore's prime shopping location and the one I went was near my hotel; at the Citylink Mall (the main MRT interchange station).

It was the restaurant my colleague and I both agreed upon after looking around =)

I liked the interior of the restaurant as it was creatively designed to give it an entertaining and laid back feel.


Check out the wallpapers and you will know what I mean ;)


Even the menus were designed artistically to match the wallpapers!~


Homemade barley with pearls (SGD$2.00)

It was a refreshing and revitalizing drink which made me think of home (I love homecooked barley with the bits)
I can't provide my opinion on this as I am ALWAYS biased with barley drinks, especially when they come with drinks (soft packagings are plus point, LOL!~)

Braised Minced Pork with egg (SGD$6.80)


Some ala carte dishes we sampled
Fried fish paste with sweet and sour sauce (SGD$5.80)

This dish was a little surprising and out of my expectation, as I was anticipating the usual fried fish paste immersed in the sweet and sour gravy.
However, this came as dry fried fish paste and the sauce was served separately, like it was not part of the dish.

Nevertheless, taste wise, it was quite good, albeit it was a little too oily for me though.

Deep fried tofu with fish paste (SGD$4.80)

The tofu with fish paste was quite average really, nothing much to shout about.

For dessert, we were recommended this newly created pudding which was made with pomelo and mango with sago and milk (coconut milk, I think).

I did not try this but it look quite good, don't you think?

Overall, the food here is quite good and the environment was conducive and relaxing.
I enjoyed the fun factor injected through the wallpapers and the funny cartoons.

Dining with The View - Part 2

Continuing from the previous post...

We enjoyed the appetizers very much; in fact, the kind waiters even helped to select the fresh seafood and deliver it to our table while we enjoy the food.

Now, that's what I call First-class service!;)

We had almost the whole place to ourselves as we were the early birds at that time



The night view truly captivates one's heart


The only mistake we both made was to order this bottle of champagne



Why a mistake, you may wonder, as this is clearly a fine breed of champagne from France?

Well, for two non-alcoholic drinkers (we DON'T even drink at all), we thought it'd be fun to try out champagne for our celebration, and initially, our thought was to go for a glass each but somehow, the waiter who served us recommended us to go for this half bottle.
Frankly, since we are not really experts, we definitely cannot comment much nor can we tell you whether it was really good or not.
The price was astonishing though, and added a hefty sum to the bill; making me regretful that we should order this bottle when we don't even drink =(
I still feel the pinch till this day; but oh well, it was an experience and a lesson learnt!

Back to the dining experience, we were done with the appetizers and we anticipated the main courses.
After our plates were cleared from our table, we were served these sorbets each to polish our palates before the next course.
Lemon sorbet


Kiwi sorbet


(Although I am a fan of sorbets, personally, I still prefer the ones served by Ferringhi Grill!)

Our main courses:
Grilled Pacific Cod (RM118)

It was highly recommended by our waiter; and I opted for it as I was a big fan of cod as well.



It was not too bad; but somehow, I could not help comparing to the Grilled Black Cod at Ferringhi Grill I have tried three years ago which still lingers freshly in my memory till this day; its delicate texture and taste!

Seafood Pasta (RM108)

To be frank, this was not really worth the price nor its name as it was a little inconsistent in its taste and somehow, after a few bites, you kinda feel that you've had enough as the taste was too empowering and rich.


I guess after the nice appetizers, we were quite disappointed by the main courses.

We were quite stuffed by then and barely had room for these enticing desserts anymore...













I was quite delighted with the find of blueberries, strawberries as well served as the desserts. Quite rare in hotel buffets, if I may say.

We enjoyed the scenery and after paying the hefty bill (really a huge pinch/hole in the wallet!), we decided to eat bread and water for the rest of our lives!
Just kidding, we proceeded to explore their wine cellar area


There was an adjoining bar next to the wine cellar


It was indeed quite an experience dining here; and if you are ready to splurge MORE than usual =)

I find it enchanting, and yes, judging from my comparisons to Ferringhi Grill, you do not need to be Einstein to guess my preference ;)

Dining with The View - Part 1

I had the experience of dining in this exquisite French-themed restaurant in Penang's most exclusive hotel; Equatorial three months ago in conjunction with a lovely celebration belonging solely to both of us :)

It was a surprise for me, a week after the memorable event took place and this was definitely added up to the joy and excitement, not to mention an exhilarating experience to enjoy the luxury of such fine dining.


Don't get me wrong, this is not the first time I have been to a fine dining restaurant but this was one that made it to the list of beautiful places to dine in; next to Ferringhi Grill ;)


Stepping into the main foyer of the restaurant, it was detailed with elegant decorations on the wall and towards the main dining hall.

We were attended to immediately when we walked past the main door, and led to a nice table next to the wonderful view
**Please take note that you need to make early reservations in order to secure a place with a nice view**




We were served a mini french loaf; specially prepared by their experienced French chefs as our starter.

It tasted really good; and the waiter even explained to us about the seven different ingredients/condiments used in the preparation of this adorable little loaf (unfortunately, I have forgotten about all the ingredients)

Soup of the day was Minestrone soup

(I've always loved this soup!!)

It was served with the garlic bread; another delightful treat after the mini french loaf but it had me wondering at that point, how many loaves do we have befoer my main meal? =P


Dinner was in semi-buffet style; whereby we order our main course from the menu and we can help ourselves to the abundant appetizers, salads, soups and desserts at the buffet bar in the next hall.
Our waiters were really friendly and attentive to our needs throughout the evening.

The buffet bar














They even have fresh seafood


Freshly cut smoked salmon by the Mongolian chef



To be continued...