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

Deal Review 1: Brazilian Churrasco Buffet at Wavve Grill & Chill

Deal details:

Only $19.80 for All-You-Can-Eat Brazilian Churrasco Buffet at Wavve Grill & Chill, Toa Payoh Central - Includes Beef Rump, Assorted Sausage, Chicken with Bacon, Pork Belly, Pasta, Salad Bars & More (Min 2 Pax)

 

Last Saturday evening, Will and I met up to redeem the deal (above) that we bought on deal.com.sg. Both of us reached Toa Payoh early and so we decided to walk around the area to pass time. Guess what! The neighbourhood Bata store had SALE with discounts up to 70% off retail price! Haha I was totally drawn towards it and I managed to grab a pair of ankle heel boots at $15!! Just love shopping ^^ 

Shopping just makes time passes so fast! After I made my purchase, it was time to make our way to Wavve.

 

 

When we reached, we were 15 minutes ahead of the buffet time. It was nice that the staff allowed early-comers to settle down in the restaurant and not wait outside. We were given a table for 2 and I must say, the chair was very comfortable!

 

The design concept of Wavve is "Abstract Aquatic" and hence water features can be observed throughout the restaurant’s interior and décor.   

 

The bar with blue neon lights to match the design concept...

 

 

After a few minutes wait, the food was finally ready! Ok first up, they have soups, assorted sushi, potato & pasta salad, and a mini salad corner to prepare your own customized salad. The salad condiments include cherry tomatoes, olives, shredded carrots, shredded cucumber, corn, chickpeas etc. Haha can't remember the rest.  

 

As for the cooked food, they have aglio oglio, fried rice, baked fish, seasonal vegetables, pizza and sautéed potato with thyme. For desserts, they have chocolate cake, fruits and mango pudding.

 

 

Besides the food spread above, the staff also served a plate of appetizer to each table. The appetizer of toasted garlic bread and fritters with tomato salsa sauce tasted good to me.

 

My plate of food...

 

 

The assorted sushi was basically sushi with the same ingredients (cucumber and crabstick) but wrapped and presented in a different way. The sushi tasted as average as it looks. The potato and pasta salad was not bad and I had a few servings of it.

 

I am a fan of aglio oglio and thus the generous portion of it on my plate. Huge regret. The aglio oglio was very dry and bland. While I am not a fan of rice, my spoonful of fried rice tasted much better. -.- Will found the baked fish ok but it was a little salty for me. The sautéed potato was good but it was not well-stirred. Some of the potato chunks tasted alright but some were really salty! Fruits and mango pudding were the best out of the food spread. The fruits were fresh and sweet. Although the mango pudding could be less sweet, I liked it.    

As Will and I were munching through our first round of food, the Churrasco appeared. In Brazil, Churrasco is the term for a barbecue where a variety of meats, pork, sausage and chicken are cooked on skewers. As written on the deal voucher, beef rump, assorted sausage, chicken with bacon, pork belly etc will be served on rotational basis.

The serving style turned out to be really poor and inefficient as there was only 1 staff serving the food. Moreover, the staff would only serve a single skewer of food from the kitchen each time. A single skewer of food could only serve up to 4 tables max. For the rest of the tables, I'm sorry but you have missed your chance and you will have to wait a long time for it again. Remember, Rotational Basis.

Although it was not stated on the deal voucher that there was a dining time limit, food was no longer served to us after 8pm?!?! -.-

Will and I sat around till 8.30pm and these were all the food served; Normal hotdog (where's the assorted sausage??), chicken with bacon, corn, chicken wings, chicken drumlets (the inside was not cooked), chicken heart, pork belly (I couldn't bring myself to eat it as it was too oily), prawns (not fresh) and beef rump. I did not take any photos as the small quantity of food served each time looked too miserable on the large white plate.

On the whole, the food offered was mediocre and definitely not worth recommending. But for a place to chill out and have some drinks, the cosy ambience and comfortable seats of Wavve fits the bill.


Wavve Grill & Chill
430 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-01
Orange Tee Building
Singapore 319402
Tel: 6255 5771



Smiles,
Mari

Deal or No Deal

Yay it's FRIDAY! And for those who have to work tomorrow (like me), it's a HOLIDAY!!!

Photo Credits: www.pupsmile.com

 

Haha ok I don't really party but I do hang out with friends to wind down and relax on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons after work. Guess what's our favourite activity??

Hint ~

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." -- Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, from Pavarotti, My Own Story

LOL yes, it's EATING!! Doesn't it feels great to grab a table at a restaurant with friends, order your favourite mains and desserts (ignore the calories), pig-out together and listen to the latest hot gossips? Haha I sure love it ^^

As I'm someone who loves to explore and try new stuff, I'm always on the look out for new and affordable dinner places. Honestly, I'm kind of a budget person who does not like to splurge too much on meals. I believe it's possible to have good food at an affordable price! You will just need to know where. For me, $50 is the max I'm willing to fork out for a meal. Unless it's a special occasion of course.

It isn't really tough to find restaurants that offer affordable lunch and dinner menus. A large number of restaurants in malls usually have special set-menus for budget customers like me. And in recent months, I have developed an interest in Dining deals on Deal.com.sg and Groupon!

Although the dining deals seem really cost-saving and worth it, I do have my fair share of not-so-good experiences; The food variety was not as stated on the deal voucher, food served (from a supposing good restaurant) was substandard to probably save cost, bad staff attitude... ...

SO to do consumers a favour, I have decided to post up reviews on the dining deals (and maybe Wellness deals) that I've bought through Deal.com.sg and Groupon!! I will also be posting reviews on the dinner places that I've visited ^^

Stay around ok?



Will be back,
Mari