PORTERHOUSE & BUTCHER BAR ( CLOSED ) @ 111 / 113 Killiney Road,Singapore - 1st Lunch Tastings On June 6,2011

After reading an interesting Dining Out / The Business Times Review by my "good Foodie Writer" friend - Geoffrey Eu - that featured - "A Taste Of South America At PorterHouse"....( which he "alerted" me recently to check PH out when we discussed about BRAWN ( google this by ShareFavEatsAlways ) Happy that it's another good recommendation as always !!! ;-) )

With CHEF JAVIER RODRIGUE

- With their friendly Chef - RODRIGUEZ from Cordoba,Argentina - ( At the end of our main course,he came out from the kitchen to served us his Signature Desserts to made a quick introduction on his cooking using the grilling method - special charcoal at high temperature ! ;-) )

Since it was our 1st Tastings - both my good regular lunch partner - KIE & myself was looking forward to check out this trendy Decorated with mostly Black & White colored walls,mirror,lighting with bottles !!! ;-)

On the LOCATION - If U are Killiney Road,there's a row of shophouses with many Eats there,just watch out for a white colored PH signboard ( there's car parking on both sides of road or the hotel or Singtel nearby ! ) And at PH - you will enter from their BAR,

Butcher BAR for Dairy-Inspired Cocktails

then to the Dining Side ( good usage for a pair of shophouses ! ) And since PH is newly opened - their Manager - Shellyna ( experienced in F&B from mostly 5 Star Hotels ! ) who provided excellent service & she introduced us their Menu and since we already read Geoffrey's review,she suggested :

- Enjoyed their House Bread ( Special Order with Duck Pate ) - Soft texture bread & good bite !!! ;-)

For our STARTERs - which was featured & suggested by both Geoffrey and also Shellyna - one of their Signature Eats -

Signature Appetiser - Ceviche Clasico ( $14 )

- "King Fish Tiradito - Marinated King Fish,Onions,Coriander,Corn & Red Cut Chilli - Enjoyed This Because It's Freshness of this Sliced Raw Fish ala Japanese Style but Marinated In Lime Juice & Fish Stock ! Tasted Refreshing & Appetizing !!!  ;-)

And while waiting for the "Star Signature Main Course" ( that needed to marinate,slow cook & grilling process for at least 45 mins before serving - see below ! ) we decided to order & check out additional Starters in the "woody like" Menu !

- "Ox Tongue With Shallot,Vinaigrette Sauce & Rocket Salad" - Guessed after their Signature Starter,this was not so exciting but still tasty & appetizing !!! ;-)

Humita - ( $23 )

- "Humita - Grated Sweet Corn Stew With Fresh Cheese & Spring Onion Sauce" - Our 1st Time & Guessed It's Good For Those Who Enjoy Corn In Slightly Cheesy Taste ! ;-)

And for my future Re-Visits - besides their above Starters,it will be a good idea to "balance with a healthy request for more Salads especially if your Main Course will be a meaty one !" ;-)

Here's their Star Signature - Main Course ( which was also featured by Geoffrey and which both of us were looking forward to taste !!! )

- "1.2 kg Argentinean Asado With Oven Roasted Cherry Tomato & Chimichurri" - Best to Order This & Share & Enjoy This ! Liked The Way It's Presented & Served On The Wooden Board & Also Impressed Especially The Size Of It !!! But I'm Still Wondering If There Was A Difference In Both Quality & Taste-Wise Because I Realised Our Order Was Imported From Argentina Vs Geoffery's Review Was From Australia - For Our Order Vs Geoffrey's - It Wasn't Really Grilled To Perfection Because Certain Parts Needed To Be Grilled Again As It Was A Bit Too Rare !!! Anyway It Could Be PH Is Newly Opened So Will Do A Re-Visit To Check This Out Again !!! So My Ratings : 7/10

For DESSERTS - since it was our 1st Time ( and anyway the Menu for this,it's actually limited for this ! ) so we left it to Shellyna to recommended for our Tasting :

Traditional Dessert - Arroz con Leche - ( $12 )

- "Arroz Con Leche - Milk Rice & Cinnamon Pudding" - Again This Is For Those Who Enjoy The Richer Taste !!! ;-)

- "Chocolate & Nuts Tart With Pistachio Sauce" - Enjoyed this !!! ;-)

Will definitely do Re-Visits ( probably not so soon since PH is only opened a month ago so with some fine tuning works & the Chef may introduce more interesting Eats ! And recently i really enjoy too much "meaty" eats !!! ;-) ) to check out their Daily Set Lunch Menu and also other Signature Eats - Grilled Wagyu,PorterHouse Steak & others that Chef Rodriguez suggested to us !!! Also need to read up more of South American Eats too !!! And since it was lunch yesterday we also didn't have the good opportunity of having a look at their Wine List !!! Btw there's a VIP Room cum Wine Cellar - seating capacity : 8 pax for small party celebration !

Finally i enjoy the location / shophouse bistro concept & also i am happy to add another Fav Eats to enjoy and recommend all my good Foodie Friends !!! ;-)

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
AnDreW ;-)

ADDRESS : 111 / 113 Killiney Road Singapore 239550
CONTACT : +65 6732 5113
WEBSITE : http://www.porterhouse.com.sg/ (

LI BAI CANTONESE RESTAURANT @ SHERATON TOWERS,Singapore - "Re-Visited &Saturday YUM CHA" On June 4,2011

Have been looking forward to re-visit LI BAI for a long time already ! Few weeks ago i tried to make reservations for Yum Cha on Sunday & it was "fully booked" !!! And since it was our regular Saturday Yum Cha get together,it was definitely a good change from our Regular Fav Yum Cha Eats liked - Imperial Treasure @ Great World City & Triple One Somerset or Park Palace @ Grand Park Hotel City Hall or Victoria Peak @ Orchard Central ( Please click on my past postings if you are keen to have a look & it may be quicker if you click Google for eg - ShareFavEatsAlways - Imperial Treasure or for other Eats ! ) ;-)

Address : 39 Scotts Road / Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel - Lower Lobby Level
Contact : +65 6839 5623
Website : http://www.sheratonsingapore.com/libai.html

Have always been impressed with LI BAI Fine Dim Sum & their Executive Chef ( Chung Yiu Ming ) exquisite and authentic cantonese cuisine ! And since it have been awhile that we had any Yum Cha here,we decided to let their Manager to arrange our Yum Cha Menu :

- "Deep Fried Shrimp With Mango Roll" - enjoyed the taste of both the Shrimp and Mango !

- "Steamed Crystal Dumpling With Vegetable" - enjoyed the look and taste ! ;-)

- "Steamed Scallop Dumpling With Spinach" - enjoyed the taste the freshness of both the scallop and spinach very much ! ;-)

- "Steamed Siew Mai" - enjoyed LI BAI's version of a basic Dim Sum !!! ;-)

And i also enjoy LI BAI's both Daily & Double Boiled Soups very much ! And today we enjoyed :

- "Double Boiled Sea Cucumber With Chicken Soup" - enjoyed the taste of this very much !!! ;-)

And for the Main Course,the Manager suggested the following :

- "Deep Fried Frog Leg With Slice Ginger" - Recommended Chef Creation - since it was my 1st time tasting this & the Chef deep fried this almost perfectly,it was really delicious !!! ;-)

- "Poached Ko Kee Vegetable With Superior Stock" - enjoyed their serving arrangement after the deep fried frog leg then this !!! ;-)

- "Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli" - Luv Noodles & enjoyed the "not so oily" taste very much !!! ;-)

- "Chin Chow With Aloe Vera & A Scoop Of Vanilla Ice Cream" - this was recommended ! There was a slight bitterness maybe in the Aloe Vera but still enjoyed this because I luv Chin Chow !!! ;-)

Here's my Personal Thoughts on our Yum Cha :
- Found their Private Room a bit too dark especially with their Decor mostly in Black !
- Yesterday lunch was packed but their service was excellent & even a quick greeting by their Chef Chung ( and later when we were leaving,he again made a quick dash out to thank us !!! )
- Definitely looking forward to enjoy other Dim Sum & Chef Special Creation !!!

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
Andrew ;-)

"NANBANTEI YAKITORI" @ FAR EAST PLAZA,Singapore - Enjoyable & Tasty Lunches - 2011

With so many Newer & Celebrity Japanese Eats setting up on our tiny Island,I thiught it's great that NANBANTEI is surviving & doing well !!! ;-)

So far if you Google, there are hardly any latest or recent foodie reviews on NANBANTEI - most likely it's definitely not on the rader of new Foodies,most likely because it's a very old established Japanese Eats that have been around for more than 20 years already !

And I recalled that NANBANTEI was probably one of my first Japanese Eats that i tasted during the times when others liked Japanese Eats liked NADAMAN,KEYAKI & INAGIKU ( Closed October 2011 ) were popular !!! And another reason is it was good that - NANBANTEI is the only specialising in - YAKITORI and located @ FAR EAST - which was a very popular shopping centre a very long time ago !!! ;-)

And during that time i was in the business that was dealing in oil trading & transportation,I used to entertain my Japanese VIP clients from the Japanese Trading Houses ! And it was also my FAV Dating Venue with  Japanese Stewardess from SQ !!! So it nice that there was lots of good memories !!! ;-)

So far i have tried & tasted other latest joints liked ENMARU @ ION ( See my posting on 1st Lunch Tasting ! ) And after our lunch, both my good friend - KIE and myself still think NANBANTEI is still the Best & my NO 1 Fav for Japanese Yakitori !!! ;-)

There's hardly any changes in their cozy "outdated" DECOR & it sure bring back good memories especially if you are seated at the counter watching the Chef busy in front sprinkling & seasoning while you are sipping your Ashai Super Dry Beer !!! And in case you are planning dinner - best to make reservations !!!  ;-)  :

From our Lunches,here posted are mostly our FAVs Items - From both their ALA CARTE and SET LUNCH MENU that you can consider and order :

Important Note - BTW you can also inform the Waitress or Chef that you may want it with less seasoning or not too burnt !!! ;-)

Here are my ( mostly Positive with Compliments ! ) Personal Thoughts :

- The Taste have been so consistently delicious after so many years !
- With all the seasoning,it's definitely very tasty so it'll be best to have side orders liked Japanese Rice and Miso Soup & also Fresh Cut Vegetable liked Carrot Sticks & Cabbage to complement the enjoyable Eats !
- There are other Set Bento Lunch Menu ( their prices are quite reasonable ! ) that i will check it out next time if i'm looking for a quick BENTO Lunch Set !

Cheers & Enjoy !!!
AnDreW ;-)

ADDRESS : #05-132 Far East Plaza - 14 Scotts Road Singapore 228213
CONTACT : +65 6733 5666
WEBSITE : http://www.nanbantei.com.sg/