Platypus Kitchen at Bugis Junction

Last post for the year 2013! ^^

At Platypus, one is able to enjoy affordable gourmet risottos and pastas. I have scanned through the menu and found that most of the menu items are below $20!! I love it that they believe "Gourmet food should be Affordable" <3 Besides ensuring freshest handmade pasta for consumers, top quality ingredients are also used and all food contains no added MSG, preservatives or additives. Sounds great right!

Along with my university friends, we headed down to Platypus Kitchen at Bugis Junction.

 

The restaurant was rather empty as my friends and I met up for late lunch at around 4pm. The dim lighting made the atmosphere very cosy and it was nice to dine in such a quiet environment. 

  

 

 

We were surprised to be given the menu for Set Meals as it was a Saturday and way past lunch hours. They have Set Meals from $16.90 and Premium Set Meals from $19.90. Every set meal includes a hot soup or side salad and a cold beverage. Great deal!! ^^

 

My choice of Lemonade (Freshly squeezed) and Pumpkin Soup.

 

The lemonade was refreshing and a good drink to compliment my meal. As the pumpkin soup and pasta that I ordered were on the heavy side, the lemonade helped to ease the heaviness. The pumpkin soup was good but I would prefer it without the cream.

 

Apart from our set meals, my friends and I also ordered the Truffle fries ($6.90) to share. ^^  

 

Truffle Fries

 

The Truffle fries consist of thick cut French fries seasoned with white truffle oil and topped with shaved truffles and cheese. To have more truffle flavour, you can also dip the fries in the truffle dipping sauce. The fries were evenly seasoned and the truffle flavour was just right for me. The generous portion of fries makes it a great appetizer to share among friends!

 

My pasta!! I ordered the Spicy 'Diablo' Crab and Prawn (Egg Tagliolini with prawns and crab claw tossed in a spicy egg sauce).  

 

Spicy 'Diablo' Crab and Prawn

 

Look at the small mountain of crab meat! You can never get that at other restaurants! The egg tagliolini was cooked al dente and the spicy kick of the pasta was so addictive. It was just right for me but caution, it may be too spicy for people who don't take spicy food! The last highlight of the dish, the garlic slices! Although the garlic slices looked like any other stir-fried garlic, they tasted absolutely different. For non-garlic lovers like my friends and I, it was a surprise. The garlic tasted crunchy and had no garlic flavour at all. Haha I forced my friends to try and we were all intrigued by it! 

 

My friends ordered the Sundried Chicken Pesto (Penne with grilled chicken chunks tossed in rich sundried-tomato pesto) and Porcini Raviolacci & Duck (Porcini Raviolacco Burro Fuso (browned butter) topped with crispy duck confit) respectively.    

 

Sundried Chicken Pesto

 

I love the rich sundried-tomato pesto. It's one of the nicest tomato-based sauce I've had so far. The rich tomato flavour just whets your appetite for more! 

Porcini Raviolacci & Duck

For the Porcini Raviolacci & Duck, the sauce tasted SO rich and creamy! For people who love rich creamy sauce, you will definitely love this! My friend enjoyed the dish but had one feedback. More raviolacci please!! Haha

 

My friends and I were so stuffed but the desserts on the menu looked too good to be missed. Haha we couldn't decide on the cake and decided to heed the advice on the dessert menu. "When in doubt, try our Sea Salt Caramel Cake. You won't regret it!" Sea Salt Caramel Cake ($7.90) it shall be! ^^

Sea Salt Caramel Cake

The sea salt caramel cake consists of sponge cake with lush layers of peanut and almond brittle, French sea salt, caramel and rich butter cream. On first look, my friends and I thought the crystal-like solids on the cake were sea salt! (We seemed like frogs in a well -.-) We took a bite each and it didn't taste salty at all. Instead, it was sweet and it started popping in our mouths. The crystal-like solids were actually popping candy (carbonated candy that creates a fizzy reaction when it dissolves)!!

 

The candy pops against the tooth and gives a 'click' sound. My friends and I had a great laugh over the audible 'clicking' sounds. Haha the cake was really a fun and delicious cake to have! Highly recommended!

 

We sat in the restaurant for 3+ hours but the staff did not chase us away even when the dinner crowd started to enter. Instead, our water were constantly refilled. Good service! ^^

 

Before leaving the restaurant, I decided to enquire about the hours for the Set Meals promotion. The staff who gave us our bill confidently replied me "Mondays to Fridays, 12 to 5pm". Hmmm...but wasn't it a Saturday?? Haha my friends and I left the restaurant amused. It was a very pleasant dining experience at Platypus (:

 

P.S. My friends and I went back for a second visit. Check out the post here!  

Cheers,

Mari



Deal Review 3: Shin Yeh Bistro at Square 2

 

Deal Details:

TungLok Group: $30 for $60 Worth of Taiwanese Cuisine at Shin Yeh Bistro - Located Conveniently Near Novena MRT  

 

 

Weeks ago, Will and I saw this deal on deal.com.sg and decided to give it a try. Haha I wanted to have some Taiwanese food for a change ^^ As seen from the deal details, Shin Yeh Bistro is actually a restaurant managed by the TungLok Group. They work towards offering diners true and authentic taste of Taiwanese street food and the best flavours of iconic Taiwanese dishes.

 

I drove on that day and decided to park at the Oasia Hotel carpark. For those who are unaware, there is a link-way from Oasia hotel to Square 2. Super convenient!! I met up with Will in the mall and headed straight to Shin Yeh Bistro.

 

The restaurant is very spacious and has a seating capacity of 180 people. Despite that, Will and I had to wait quite awhile as the restaurant was packed. I had no idea Shin Yeh was so popular!

 

Photos of the restaurant before figuring out our orders (:

 

 

The restaurant also has such comfortable seats! Just nice for a group of 4-5 people.    

 

 

A bowl of crackers that was served to every table. Haha I definitely prefer this to peanuts ^^

 

 

First up is our drinks! Will ordered the Milk Tea with Watermelon ($3.90) while I ordered the Yoghurt Green Tea ($3.90). Our verdict was that the Yoghurt Green Tea tasted better. It's actually yakult mixed with green tea. Nice!!  

 

Milk Tea with Watermelon, Yoghurt Green Tea

For appetizers, we chose the Savoury Poached Kampong Chicken ($9.90).

Savoury Poached Kampong Chicken

 Will and I were actually worried that the serving of the chicken might be too large for the 2 of us. The worries were unfounded. The restaurant served a portion that was just right for 2 people. The chicken was very cold, probably chilled in the refrigerator before served. I'm not so used to chilled chicken but the meat was tender. Not bad!

Our first main dish was the Crispy-fried Soft Shell Crabs with Salt and Pepper ($11.90).

Crispy-fried Soft Shell Crabs with Salt and Pepper

I was looking forward to this dish as I love soft shell crabs a lot. The crispness of the soft shell crab was ok but I would prefer more seasonings. The "fishy" taste/flavour that came with the crab was still very distinct >.<

Next up, we had the Fried Vermicelli with Pumpkin ($9.90).

Fried Vermicelli with Pumpkin

I was deceived by the illustration in the menu. From the menu, it seemed to me that the vermicelli was fried with pumpkin strips and in a pumpkin gravy/sauce to give a nice golden yellow colour. The photo in the menu was indeed for illustration purposes only -.- The dish was a disappointment. There were pumpkin strips but all I could taste from the dish was fried vermicelli with whole lots of pepper. What happened to the sweet pumpkin flavour?!

The most awaited dish for me, the Spicy Eggplant and Pig Intestines served in Claypot ($10.90).

Spicy Eggplant and Pig Intestines served in Claypot

 

This dish was the best of all! The eggplant was soft and a little mushy, just the way I liked it. The pig intestines were chewy and tender. The hint of spiciness enhanced the flavours of the dish and made it even more delicious. Yummy! ^^

 

Our last dish before desserts was the 'Shin Lin' Pan-Fried Oyster Omelette ($6.90).

'Shin Lin' Pan-Fried Oyster Omelette

The oyster omelette offered in Shin Yeh was probably altered to suit the Singaporean tastebuds. It was unlike the one I had in Taiwan where the omelette was more starchy. It was a little disappointing that the oyster omelette lacked the fragrance of the fried egg. But for oyster lovers, this dish would be heaven as the amount of oysters in the omelette was very generous! There got to be about 15-20 oysters in there. O.O

Lastly for desserts, Will and I shared the Almond Jelly with Peach Slices in Syrup ($4.90).

Almond Jelly with Peach Slices in Syrup

 

The texture of the almond jelly is nothing like what I've had before! It's not the typical jelly that you would think of. The almond jelly had a chewy mochi-like texture. Interesting!

 

There were some hits and misses in the dishes that Will and I had. But for only $30+ for the dishes above, I would say its worth it!  

 

Shin Yeh Bistro  

10 Sinaran Drive

Square 2, #01-73

Singapore 307506

Tel: 6893 1123

 

 

Smiles,

Mari

Yayoiken at Bugis+

Located near the entrance of Bugis+, Yayoiken is a Japanese restaurant not to be missed. Yayoiken has a history of more than 125 years (!!!) and strives to serve customers a wide variety of high-quality menu items in a pleasant and relaxed environment.

Although the restaurant did not stand out at first glance, the promotion banner did! There were set menus from $9.90 and free flow of rice with every order!! For carbo-fans like my mom, it's great ^^

Haha I attempted to take a photo of the interior from my seat but didn't turn out so well. Restricted view. Oops.

Highlight of the restaurant! You can place your order through the touch screen tablet. No more waving of hands or calling out "Excuse me!!" to get the staff's attention. You can easily browse the menu, select and confirm orders. Warm/cold water can also be ordered and it's free.     

 

My brother ordered the Mix Toji Set (Sliced pork/beef, fried prawn and pork culet topped with egg) and it looked really appetizing when served. The fried prawn and sliced pork were good but the pork cutlet was slightly dry and hard.

 

Mix Toji Set ($13.90)

 

My mom ordered the Yasai Itame Set (Stir-fried vegetables with sliced pork set).

 

Yasai Itame Set ($.9.90)

 

For vegetable-lovers, this is highly recommended! The vegetables were really fresh, crunchy and flavourful. But if you prefer to have more sliced pork than vegetables, Buta Yakiniku Set (Sliced pork and vegetables on hot plate set) will be just right for you. Both menus are of the same price!

 

My dad ordered the Oyako don + On Udon Set (Chicken & scrambled egg rice bowl with hot udon soup), while I ordered just the Oyako don (Chicken & scrambled egg rice bowl). The Oyako don came in a cute lunch box container.

Oyako Don ($9.90), Oyako Don + On Udon ($12.90)

 

The portion of chicken & scrambled egg was really generous and it tasted less salty than I expected. Thumbs up! I couldn't finish the Oyako don on my own and had to share it with my family. The hot udon soup was simple and good too.

In my opinion, Yayoiken offers decent Japanese food at affordable prices. Worth a try! I will definitely be back again ^^



YAYOIKEN Japanese Restaurant
201 Victoria Street #01-08
Singapore 188067
Bugis+
Tel: 6636 5448



Cheerios,
Mari