Kai Garden - On par with Hotel's Chinese Restaurants

Usually, for good food plus great service and wonderful ambience, I will recommend the Chinese restaurants under hotels' management because of their need to providing a flawless experience to the patrons. I notice that most of the other Chinese restaurants are very profit-driven, thus neglecting the standard of service. With that said, Kai Garden surprises me in every way. The service is excellent, in Chinese restaurant context, and the food is very good.

After trying the food in many Chinese restaurants, I have to admit that I get bored with typical Cantonese fare. Thus I will only be impressed if creative twists are incorporated into the food without compromising on the authenticity. And Kai Garden's repertoire of dishes and dim sum manages to do just that.

The mushroom bun is an absolute delight to tuck into due to the slightly crispy sweet pineapple bun top pairing with the creamy, very flavourful mushroom filling.

I am also bowled over by the glutinous rice because it is so moist in texture and packed with wholesome ingredients such as dried scallops to impart the taste of unami into the sticky rice.

Fried prawns with specialty sauce is a treat for those with acquired taste—I happen to be one of them. I can say that the prawns are fresh since no allergic reaction gotten from them. The spices-and-curry sauce drizzled on the soft yet pretty crispy fried batter gives that extra kick to the dish. But rest assured that it is not hot at all.

The unique fried skin, peppered with crispy breadcrumbs, of the scallop mango roll is what makes this dim sum worthy to check it out. However, while I like the creamy texture of filling, complementing the wrapping excellently, I could hardly find any seafood in there. It is more like mango roll than anything else. The lobster dumpling soup is quite a let-down as compared to other dishes. The dumpling arrived broken, with all the contents spilled into soup. And the bland taste did not help either.

The ambience is minimalist chic, with hints of grandeur. I like how the tables were decently spaced frim each other, unlike lots of Chinese restaurants.

Service is attentive, prompt and meticulous. The staffs even provide bag holders for our bags. Lots of restaurants don't provide these, so this extra touch of thoughtfulness is highly appreciated.

While this restaurant does not feature all varieties of tea, I am impressed with their Da Hong Pao—smooth and fragrant.

I can say Kai Garden is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. So of course I will go back to enjoy authentic yet unique Chinese food, with good service and great ambience.

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

Note: But the experience there on CNY eve is far less than stellar. It is overcrowded, with dirty plates piled up on a platform right behind me. And we only start eating at 9pm for a 8pm slot! Not recommended for CNY reunion dinner.

Nearest car park: Marina Square's car park

Nearest MRT: Raffles City

6 Raffles Boulevard

#03-128A/128B, Marina Square

Singapore

Contact No: 6250 4826

Paradise Dynasty - Interesting Xiao Long Bao

I had tried xiao long bao, those little dumplings packed with pork and broth, in lots of places. So far, Ding Tai Feng's ones are one of the better ones because this place specializes in making xiao long bao. Paradise Group tries to challenge Ding Tai Feng with Paradise Dynasty, whose focus is on xiao long bao, to top it off, features a variety of this well-lived dim sum. Well, I was sceptical but ended up leaving the place feeling somewhat impressed.

Unlike the disappointing xiao long bao—the meat is not fresh—I had in Canton Paradise, the ones in Paradise Dynasty have thin silky dough skin wrapped around the fresh meat. Yes, they are comparable to the ones in Ding Tai Feng. What gives the dumplings here an extra edge is the array of flavours available. My favourite got to be the ginseng one. The slightly bitterness and herbal flavour goes very well with the meat. Kind of reminds me of those nourishing herbal soups. By the way, do not mix in the shredded ginger and vinegar as these will eclipsed the delicate flavour of ginseng. Another one of my favourite is the foie gras one, which surprises me on how this Western and Chinese combination works. The taste is unique yet not over the top, thus able to please my palates. The truffle xiao long bao is not bad, but this is not exactly match made in heaven. I feel the full potential of the oh-so-delightful woody aroma of truffle is not realized in the makeup of xiao long bao.

Cheese xiao bao long hits the wrong notes for me. The minced meat is too strong in flavour and too mashed in texture to complement the cheese well. The crab roe one tastes too fishy to my liking. Garlic xiao long bao is not bad, but does not offer anything unique like the ginseng and foie gras ones. The szechuan dumpling has very strong flavours. This resembles the wanton in chili oil. I like it but I can only stomach one piece because it is fiery hot.

The radish pastry has excellent crispy skin, and the filling is not too salty, which is good. Though it is not exactly noteworthy in terms of overall taste.

The service is a notch better than the other Paradise outlets, not counting in Paradise Pavilion, the crown jewel of Paradise group.

I sure do not mind going back for the ginseng xiao long bao if in the mood for a casual dining experience.

My Thoughts: Pretty Good

Nearest car park: Vivocity's car park

Nearest MRT: Habourfront

1 Harbourfront Walk, #03-08A

Vivocity

Singapore
Contact No: 6376 8103

Buzz Honey

Once I had tried raw honey, I found that all other honey cannot match up to it in terms of taste and the effectiveness of the healing properties. Besides the divine alce nero raw honey, I have just discovered another new brand in stock in NTUC. Presenting ... Buzz Honey!

I was tempted to buy a jar because of my love for raw honey. In addition, I am always up for trying new tastes. The chuck of honeycomb submerged into the golden liquid cemented my decision to buy one. I mean ... how often do one find honey that comes with honeycomb in Singapore supermarkets? Of course, I must try it.

The honey itself is very delicate in flavour. I like the lingering fragrance of blossoms inherent in honey. This is seriously good stuff. Though there is a slight sour aftertaste. It is still way better than lots of other types or brands of honey.

Filter out the bits of honeycomb before enjoying the drink because while the comb is nice to bit into savour the honey, its waxy texture is not what I appreciate when gulping down the smooth, refreshing honey drink.

All in all, I sure do not mind showing people that I have a jar of honey with honeycomb enclosed.

Meadow Honey at Limestone Coast is great stuff also. One thing is for sure, it is like magic potion curing my sore throat and ulcers.

Country of Origin: Australia

Where to get this: NTUC Xtra

Rainbow Cottage - The Selection is exactly as the Namesake suggests

Closed

Actually, I just happened to pass by Blk 452, Ang Mo Kio and immediately took note of this cafe due to the quaint wooden settings, which sets the place apart from the surrounding neighbourhood shops. I guess I can say that the ambience seems tranquil and inviting enough for me to just step in to try out a cake.

The rainbow cake looks very brightly coloured, which will win the hearts of many. However, for me, who is more into natural ingredients, the colours seem too garish to my liking. So I was pleasantly taken aback that the taste of the cake exceeds my expectations, considering that I do not have very high expectations in the first place.

The texture is not as moist as I would rave over, but it is good enough to please most people. The consistency and taste of the cake seems like a cross between butter cake and sponge cake—not bad at all. I like the buttery flavour of the cake and the exceedingly light, airy cream slathered on top and in between the layers of different coloured sponge cakes. In fact, I feel like I am eating sweetened creamy clouds when eating the cream off the top of the cake. And I appreciate that there is no chemical-like taste atypical of colour additives.

The rainbow cake here will delight the kids and make pretty nice centrepiece of parties. Maybe next time, I will try the Thai Milk Tea ice-cream.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Note: This cafe is no longer in operation.