Restaurants: Park Palace @ Grand Park City Hall Hotel (Cantonese cuisine)

Park Palace is a Chinese Restaurant that specialises in Cantonese cuisine and is located on the mezzanine level of the Grand Park City Hall Hotel (former premises of the Grand Plaza ParkRoyal hotel on Coleman Street). This is the same kitchen that was responsible for my wedding lunch banquet that I held in Grand Park City Hall in January 2011 to which I had rave reviews from my family and friends about the quality of the food served.This time we visited the restaurant a month ago to have dinner with my in-laws. Without further ado let's go through what we ordered:

Crispy Silver Fish 

Not to be confused with the pest that you may find munching away at old books, these are actually whitebait fish that resemble baby eels. 

These are fried really crispy like Keropok (crispy deep fried crackers) and can be quite addictive. A favourite with the kids (i.e. my wife's nephew and niece) and adults alike. No wonder we ordered 2 portions. Pictured above is a single portion (priced at S$8). Nice!

Peking Duck 

Next up on the menu is Peking Duck. The whole duck is pictured below:

Peking Duck is prized for its crispy skin. Our waitresses promptly de-skinned the duck and cut the skin into smaller pieces that can be rolled up with pieces of cucumber in a crepe lathed in a sweet saunce. (see below)

Don't think it was the best I've tasted but it was pretty good nonetheless. Each duck will set you back S$60. 

In case you are wondering, the duck meat itself is not wasted. Most restaurants would ask you how you would like the duck meat prepared. Some options are to add it to Fried rice, to Eefu noodles etc. You have to pay a little extra whichever option you choose. We chose to fry it with Eefu noodles (for an additional S$10). See below:

The noodles were done just right: not too salty nor overly wet and soggy. The duck meat complemented it very well, adding an extra dimension of "bite".
Roasted Pork (Sio Bak) and Honey Pork (Char Siew)
My inner carnivore cajoled me to order the Roasted Pork (Sio Bak in Hokkien dialect) and Honey Pork. Pictured left and right respectively.

The Sio Bak was cut into 12 small pieces and each piece had wonderfully crispy, crackly skin that was lovely to bite into. The meat was tender and didn't exhibit any "porky" smell. My main complaint is that the portion was too small. The Honey Pork, Park Palace's take on Char Siew, is drenched in Honey so it is sweet and doesn't have the characteristic charcoal burnt edges normally associated with Char Siew. On the other hand, the meat was uniformly soft and tender unlike Char Siew, and is good but different from the norm. 

The portion of Sio Bak is priced at S$12 and the Honey Pork costs S$16.

Scallops with Mushroom and Asparagus

Scallops were firm and sweet. I've begun to love asparagus more and more in recent times and this was no exception. The asparagus was crunchy and exhibited a natural sweetness. Mushrooms were few and far between though. The whole mix came on top of a crispy shell (Is it made of Fried Vermicelli?). The portion pictured above is priced at S$42. One lament I have is that I still prefer the Fried Scallops and Asparagus in Spicy XO Sauce which they served at my wedding lunch but is not listed in the menu. Now that was Heavenly! BTW, for those interested, the restaurant sells small glass jars of their self-made XO sauce at S$18 a jar.
Wasabi Mayo Prawns
Next up is a dish that is fast becoming a staple in any self respecting chinese restaurant. The prawns were deep fried in batter and drizzled with a light green wasabi mayo sauce and topped off with sesame seeds.

The prawns though lightly battered, were crunchy and the wasabi mayo sauce had a nice kick to it. Worth a try! Portion above priced at S$42 so it ain't that cheap.

Dessert: Mango Pomelo

Quite commonly available in most Chinese restaurants in Singapore, the version here was more liquid (not pulpy and sticky). The sweetness and slight tang of the Mango was well balanced by the bitter sweet pomelo flesh and wasn't overly sweet.

Each bowl is priced at S$5.

Dessert: Custard Yolk Buns (Liu Sha Bao)

I've saved the best for last. This was a fortunate, unplanned discovery as it was ordered as a substitute to another dessert item that wasn't available that day. Being fans of Liu Sha Bao, my wife and I ordered some in the hope that it would be of a certain standard. 4 buns in a basket made it to the table as shown below:

They looked like little white bulbs waiting to brighten up our meal further. Although each bun is small, encased in thin dumpling skin is a generous portion of custard and salted egg yolk filling. What can I say except that it's a sweet and salty sensation that is out of this world! As you can see from the closeup below, each bun oozed with lovely molten (it's pretty hot) yellow goodness....

I daresay this was the best discovery of the evening. It ranks among one of the best (if not the best) custard yolk buns I have tried in Singapore so far. Priced at S$4.80 for 3 buns (S$1.60 per bun). 

Verdict: The Food is not cheap but the prices aren't super exhorbitant either. For the above meal, the cost per pax came up to about S$43. Overall the food is pretty good and a great place to be if you want some privacy (usually the restaurant isn't crowded). 
Update: I did return to Park Palace around 6pm last Sunday 24 Apr 2011 to see if I could get a takeaway for those lovely Custard Yolk buns. The waitress checked with the kitchen and they were willing to accommodate my request even though opening time for dinner is usually 6:30pm. What's more, she advised me to sit and wait and even brought me a glass of cold water to drink. What wonderful service! For the Custard Yolk buns, you have a choice to takeaway the unsteamed buns to DIY at home or to ask them to steam them for you if you are eating them soon after. Just to attest that standard for the the buns is maintained. Excellent Stuff!

Great Meal Deals: Pizza Set Meal from Swissbake @ Anchorpoint

My first memories of a swiss bakery are that of the Hiestand Swiss Gourmet Bakery that used to have outlets in Centrepoint and even a cafe at United Square before they upped and disappeared from the scene. From what I gather, the new entity called Swissbake took over Hiestand's operations and distribution in Singapore and look to be doing well so far with quite a few outlets opening around the Island. Well known for selling wonderful pastries and savouries, you would probably not associate them with hot meals but this is the value proposition I will highlight to you.

At the Anchorpoint outlet, they are offering a real value for money deal for a pizza set at only S$9.90. 

Pizza: Choice of 5 flavours: BBQ Chicken, Salmon (Pictured above), Marguerita (Vegetarian), Tuna and Hawaiian (Ham & Pineapples). The thin crust pizza is of a substantial size and definitely puts Pizza Hut's personal pan pizza to shame with its size and generous toppings. The Salmon Pizza had pieces of  Smoked Salmon on each pizza slice. 

Salad: No Choice here, it comprises mainly of rocket lettuce, tomatoes, drenched in a vinaigrette. (not a big fan of salads, felt like I was eating grass here, *LOL*)

Gourmet Coffee: I chose Swiss Coffee this time (aka Black coffee with 2 small cups of Swiss Creamer and a small biscuit) You can select an option from the hot coffee selection which includes Cappuchino, Expresso etc. Most of the coffees start from above S$3 so that makes the pizza costs less than S$6. 

And as if these were not enough, they even gave us a complimentary slice of cake (sponge cake with a berry filling at the centre) during this visit. 

Verdict: Excellent value for money even without the cake. Do check it out if you're in the area! You could also take the opportunity to stock up on their lovely pastries and pies. Yum! 

Price: S$9.90 for a personal pizza, a salad and a gourmet coffee 

Where: 370 Alexandra Road #01-05/06, Anchorpoint

Operating Hours: Daily, 9.30am - 9.30pm

I had meant to post this offer earlier in the year, but for whatever reason Swissbake decided to remove this offer soon after but have lately restored it. However I did notice that there are fewer Gourmet Coffee options now (i.e. they removed the Affogato and Irish Coffee options). Still Good value though.  

Fast Food Escapades : Texas Fried Chicken (@ Nex Mall)

Hey pardners, Texas Fried Chicken (can I call it TFC?) has returned to Singapore, Yee Haw! Back in the 80s, it used to be known as Church's Texas Fried Chicken and I distinctly remember the brown logo with what I believed was a picture of a cowboy. Do correct me if I'm wrong, it has been quite some time. Currently they have opened 5 outlets in Singapore and I dropped in on a Sunday afternoon for lunch at the outlet in Nex Mall. Here's what I ordered:

A 3 piece meal as shown above. S$9.60 gets you 3 pieces of chicken,one biscuit, a side (I chose Fries) and a drink. The chicken is available in original and spicy and being the asian that I am, went for the spicy. Warning: If you can't take chilli, please avoid the spicy else you may be in for an butt burning aftermath.

A closer look at the 3 pieces of chicken:

Taste Verdict: The chicken is quite juicy and that includes the breast meat which is no mean feat. The spicy flavour (I think it is some sort of chilli oil) gives a nice kick to it and when added to fresher chicken is a treat. The bones are clean and whitish, unlike the dark stained bones of a certain competitor. My only complaints are that I felt the batter could be more crispy (compared to what I've tried at the Expo outlet, the batter is a tad soft) and the pieces are smaller (again when compared to those I tried at the Expo outlet). I only ordered 3 pieces so they shouldn't be so eager to give out wings (which I find really too small). The biscuit was quite crumbly and salty, very forgettable.

Price: At S$9.60 for a 3 piece meal with a biscuit, one side and a drink, it is a sure sign that Fried Chicken in Singapore is getting less and less affordable.

Compared with Competitors: Definitely a cut above Broaster chicken (also in Nex Mall) and Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits. For me, Texas is on par with Arnold's Fried Chicken for freshness and taste but depends on the outlet you are comparing against (For Texas, Expo is the best for me and for Arnold's, the City Plaza outlet is the best) . 

Where: 23 Serangoon Central, #04-18/19/20, Nex Mall , Singapore 556083. 

Business hours:

10.30 am to 10.30 pm (Sun to Thur) 10.30 am to 11.30 pm (Fri & Sat)

Bonus Tip: Don't throw away the receipt so quickly. 

If you notice the bottom of the receipt (see above), they ask you to complete an easy survey at http://www.texaschickensurvey.com within 3 days of your visit. Upon completion, you will get a 5 digit validation code which you can write on the receipt and use to redeem 2 pieces of chicken free with any of purchase of a combo meal.I applaud them for being sincere in getting feedback from the public and rewarding those who do so. Cheers!

Groceries: Bargain Spotting @ Valu$ Bargain - April 2011 update

 More value to be found at Valu$, this time I visited the branch at Nex Mall (above Serangoon MRT), Level 4. As always, there's more great stuff to be had.
Cadbury Chocolate Biscuits (Made in the UK)
Similar to their Mcvities and Marks and Spencer counterparts, these biscuits have one side coated in Milk chocolate; in this case, Cadbury Milk Chocolate. 3 flavours available are Oat and Chocolate Chip, Digestive and Shortcake.

  Price: S$2.50 per pack or S$4.50 for 2 packs
Post Cereals - Trail Mix Crunch - Cranberry Vanilla (Made in USA)
Cranberry Vanilla Trail Mix Crunch is a flavour I haven't seen at the other branches of Valu$ I've been to. You can feel the package is quite densely packed with 481 grams of goodness.  

Price: S$4.50 per pack
After Eight - Chocolate Mints (Made in Germany)
This is one chocolate that brings back memories for me. My dad used to buy this when I was young. I've always like Mint flavoured stuff (Aero Mint Chocolate,Chocolate Mint Ice Cream etc) and this is no exception.

 Price: S$3.95 per pack or $10 for 3 packs
Lays Potato Chips (Made in USA)
These need no introduction as they're widely sold in most supermarkets here. The difference is most places sell them close to S$4. NTUC fairprice prices them at S$3.60 on offer. Flavours seen: Original, BBQ and Sour Cream & Onion
Here it is still cheaper by 65 cents

Price: S$2.95 per pack
Walkers Chocolate Truffle Liquers (Made in the UK)
Now these are new to me. Chocolates with Liquer truffle centres are always welcome though. Available in Irish Cream, Brandy and Whisky flavours. I'll try it out and let you know the verdict.

Price: S$2.90 per pack
Ritter Sport - Chocolate (Made in Germany)
These are quite popular over here and usually go for S$3.30 per pack. The selection here is limited to a few flavours such as Dark Chocolate Whole Hazelnuts, Raisin & Nuts and Caramel Nuts. Still a steal at S$2.50.

 Price: S$2.50 per pack
That concludes another Valu$ post, hope you like what you see.
Bonus offer seen today (at NTUC Fairprice Nex Mall)
Yeah, I know that this post is about Valu$ offers but I wanted to share one more offer I saw today at NTUC Fairprice Nex Mall. If you have not tried Barilla Pasta, you don't know what you've been missing.If you're likely to whip up some spaghetti, why not give it a try? Especially when it's on offer. Usual price is S$3.50 i think.

Price: S$2.95 per pack