A banana towers over the Singapore skyline - "The Floating Banana" is what I call it. After all, it does look like a banana half suspended in mid air. Marina Bay Sands is one of the two integrated resorts in Singapore and was the most expensive integrated resort developed in the world as of last year.
AND WOULD YOU JUST LOOK AT THE VIEW?
Unfortunately, the food at Ku Dé Ta Restaurant takes a backseat in this place to see and be seen.
The environment was vibrant and noisy; if you're seated in the inside I hear it can be somewhat stifling (if you call to make a reservation, be sure to request for outdoor patio seating!). Then again, I'd even suggest you go there to knock back a few cocktails and enjoy the view - and just forget about the food.
We ordered a couple of their dishes that had been featured in the Sunday Times as pictured below.
Spicy 'Bo ssam' Pork Belly Salad
Spicy 'Bo ssam' Pork Belly Salad ($13): This was a delightful dish to start the night off. As its name implies, this salad is rather spicy. House made pickles and cucumber vinaigrette lend this salad a tang as well, which is a delight to the palate. The offerings of pork was rather pathetic. Then again, I'm not normally a salad person! 2.5/5
Crispy Skin Bamboo Steamed Duck
Crispy Skin Bamboo Steamed Duck ($58): I don't recall this dish being very 'crispy'. Slices of steamed duck decorated this dish, garnished with kaffir lime and blood plum sauce. Not Impressed :( 1/5
Wok-Charred Cherry Tomatoes & Tofu
Wok-charred Cherry Tomatoes & Tofu ($10): I genuinely enjoyed this dish. Each bite produces a burst of savory flavor in your mouth, and the texture of the wok charred cherry tomatoes (cooked till they were quite soft and bursting with juice) goes very well with the tofu. 4/5
Minced Muscovy Duck
Minced Muscovy Duck (No Longer on the Menu): I think the description says it all. Imagine your mini sang choy bao but at an exorbidant price - voila, you have minced muscovy duck.
House-Cured Scottish Salmon Tartare
House-Cured Scottish Salmon Tartare (No Longer on Menu): NOOOOOOOOO why did they retire this dish :( The salmon simply melted in the mouth and went perfectly with the Avocado. Pickled seasoning gave the dish more of a kick and saved it from being bland. Simply lovely, and my favorite dish that night. 5/5.
Jumbo Softshell Crab
Crunchy Jumbo Softshell crab ($18): This was fried with green chilli mayonnaise to make it more tender and spice up the dish. By the time it arrived at our table however, the crabs were soggy. Go to Geylang or a good seafood place to get your fix for softshell crabs in my opinion. 2/5
Ku De Ta 40 Flavor Fried Rice
'forty flavor' fried rice ($18):Baked in lotus leaf, this offering tastes exactly like... *drumroll* the sticky peanut glutinous rice you can get at dim sum places. So not worth it. :( 1.5/5.
We didn't stay for dessert, having been disappointed by most of their dishes so far. The view was great - but you have to pay extra if you're not a guest and you wish to go down to the boardwalk.
Final Verdict: Having been to Ku De Ta, I think I shall stick to Equinox or Loof in the future.
Ku Dé Ta Restaurant, Singapore
1 Bayfront Avenue
SkyPark at Marina Bay Sands, North Tower
Singapore 018971
Tel (reservations generally required): 6688 7688
Opening Hours
Breakfast: 7 AM - 11 AM
Lunch: 12 PM - 3 PM
Dinner: 6 PM - 11 PM
(SkyBar, Club Lounge & SkyDeck open till late)
A bad knowledge of Singaporean Bus Routes brought us to Joo Chiat when we initially intended to go to Parkway Parade. Therefore, we (Significant Other and I) decided to give Everything with Fries a try (down the corner from Astons, Joo Chiat). Everything with Fries (such a catchy name) was created by the same connoisseurs that brought us Awfully Chocolate. They have two outlets, the first in Joo Chiat and another at Holland Village.
Being a Saturday Evening, the cafe was rather crowded when we entered. We were ushered in by a friendly waitress who took the time to explain the concept behind the name (with every main course, you get a side of fries that are seasoned with either one of five flavors - Curry, Herbs & Garlic, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion or Original). You could also opt for a choice of shoestring fries (skinny fries, like that you get at Burger King) or chunky cut fries.
The drinks were first to arrive - we ordered an Iced Lemon Tea and Lemon Soda. The Ice Lemon Tea was sweet - very sweet.In contrast, the Lemon Soda had a nice kick to it.
The menu offered a choice of 11 main courses - which isn't much, but just nice if the food is good. Our food of choice that night was the Wild NZ King Salmon ($18.90) and the Lamb Burger ($11.90). Both of us picked Shoestring Fries to go with our meals - the herbs we chose were Herbs & Garlic and the Salt & Vinegar... I suggest you bring 3 friends along so that you get to try every single seasoning ;)
Herbs & Garlic: (pictured with the Lamb Burger) The first bite of fries produced a cheesy taste with a light garlic aftertaste. After consuming half the fries however, I felt the fries were too salty with the seasoning and the delightful bite provided by the garlic was now causing a light sting on my tongue... I'm pretty sure I left with garlic breath that night.
Salt & Vinegar: (pictured with the Salmon) Personally I felt that the vinegar taste was absent in this dish... but I wasn't the one who consumed most of it. Significant Other found it average.
The fries were hot, crispy & not soggy - lovely, in other words (:
The Wild NZ King Salmon was as described in the menu. Overlaid with breadcrumbs on one side, it was crispy on the outside. Inside, it was a dream. The salmon was cooked sashimi style, slightly pink and translucent - it literally melted in the mouth. For $18.90, the portion size was generous as well.
The Lamb Burger was amazing. Their handmade bun was baked with a light coating of butter that produced a slightly sweet crust surrounding light, airy bread. I was reminded of buns you get at the local market bread shops first thing in the morning! The lamb patty was handmade, thick and well seasoned. In between the patty and the bun was tomato and cheese - but with a slight twist. I dislike tomatoes in burgers. More often than not, they're not fresh or they uh... soggify the bun. The Everything with Fries incarnation is made with tomato relish - a godsend to people like me who love tomato based sauces and salsa but dislike the actual tomato fruit. Instead of a cheese slice, the lamb burger is made with cream cheese. Together... heaven.
A few notes - we weren't offered a choice between the Baby Caesar Salad or Coleslaw with our dishes (maybe they ran out of coleslaw?). I also felt that the staff was 'pushing' us to have dessert even after we had decided not to - we took the menus they thrust into our hands just to humor them, but shouldn't it be a personal preference if I want dessert or not? Although, the next time I'm here I think I shall give the Nutella Tart or the Mille Crêpe a go.
Ambience wise, Everything with Fries definitely needs to rethink the cafe design. The cafe is rather spartan, simply consisting of wooden furniture placed in a shophouse with white floors and stone flooring. I admit that the shophouse itself isn't very large per se - but I believe that the staff has tried to squeeze a table and chairs into every single square inch of the place. Even with a tiny gap between us and our neighbors, I'm pretty sure that Significant Other could have seen the high score on the Nintendo DS that the kid seating next to him was playing on (if he wished, duh). The environment would be much more pleasant if they had more spaces in between each table - at the expense of a possible longer waiting time during peak hours, of course.
Recommended for: Large Groups, Gatherings, Family, Yuppies
The Tastings Roomis a new establishment that opened on the 2nd of July 2011. Seeing that they were offering a 1-for-1 Pasta Deal, the boyfriend and I decided to have dinner here 2 weeks after it opened. The interior of this restaurant is more cafe-like than anything, with wooden chairs and tables. However, it gives off a classy vibe without being intimidating - I especially love the lights and the modern bar. The waitress that served us looked really young, but she was rather patient in explaining the numerous deals to us & service was definitely not an issue here.
Describing themselves as a restaurant that specializes in gourmet food and wine, one would expect prices to be exorbitant. As of this post, every single main course on their menu is under SGD $30. On their website at the moment is a promotional wine retailing for $9.99 a bottle... need I say more? GO AND TRY THIS PLACE, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Fine, fine, I'll get on with the review.
I got the Truffle Wild Mushroom Spaghetti ($17.90) which featured spaghetti in a cream-based sauce with herbs, surrounded by mushrooms and crowned with truffle infused foam. Mix them together and voila!, a sinful hint of earthy smoky taste is incorporated into the pasta.
I liked this dish - I adore anything that has truffle in it. My only beef with it was that it was so rich and filling that I had to get the boyfriend to finish off most of it for me. Spaghetti always seems to be more filling than fettucini, penne, fusilli or other forms of pasta. Maybe it's a personal thing.
The boyfriend picked the Tomato Seafood Linguine which was a lighter and more refreshing choice. The tomato pesto that coated the linguine was lovely on the palate, and the seafood was fresh.
Another thing about this place - I love the menus! They're adorable, colorful and filled with lovely quotes that make you want to order lots of wine, haha. If we had set aside more time for dinner I might have been tempted by the wines. Or the Chocolate Durian Cake. Or Aglio Olio. Or the Tiramisu.
Somehow, I think a second visit (or three) are in the books. P.S. Eggs Benedict for $13.90! I <3.
Recommended for: Large Groups, Intimate Gatherings, First Dates (i.e. Everyone)
I admit it: I never liked hawker center food as a kid. I turned my nose up at hawker food staples such as Hainanese Chicken Rice & Char Kway Teow. Until I moved overseas. Suddenly, the grass (or rice) on the other side seemed greener. So nowadays when I return, I ensure that these are on my To Eat list.
When my friends come to Singapore from Australia & other parts of the world, most of them know well enough to try 'Chicken Rice'. However, most of them don't get it either. "It's only chicken and rice... what's the big deal?" Or at least that's what I normally get asked! In this case, Aristotle has it spot on when he says "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Chicken Rice is not a uniquely Singaporean dish; it is easily found in Malaysia as well (although some establishments serve it as Chicken Rice Balls where the rice surrounds the chicken sushi style).
Fried carrot cake is more commonly known as Chai Tow Kway in Singapore. It consists of steamed radish cake that is then stir fried with eggs, garlic, soy sauce & cured radish. Two common versions exist: The White and the Black.
Black Fried Carrot Cake uses sweet soy sauce and the egg is mixed in together with the carrot cake; this produces a sweeter taste and a more consistent texture throughout the dish.
The White version is not fried with sweet soy sauce, and the egg is fried in such a way so that it 'wraps' the radish cake pieces.
This dish is popular for breakfast & supper i.e. 'light' meals.
AKA 'Kaya Toast'. Some might dispute this - if you google 'Traditional Singaporean Breakfast', images of Nasi Lemak and Mee Siam are also possible contenders. However, Kaya Toast almost always features on my To Eat List. I could have it for breakfast, tea time, supper... whatever!
Kaya is a coconut jam made of eggs, sugar, coconut milk, flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. This delicacy is served on toast with cold butter squares sandwiched between the two toast pieces, resulting in a sweet milky taste upon first bite followed by the crispiness of the toast with a slight savory aftertaste of butter.
This is normally served with soft boiled eggs. With some soy sauce & a dash of pepper, the soft boiled eggs complements the sweetness of kaya toast in every way (yes, I've included a video on how to eat a Singapore style soft-boiled egg!)
Recommendations for Kaya ToastYa Kun (several outlets around the island - I recommend the Far East stall & the one at Thomson Plaza), Killiney Kopitiam (also several outlets around the island)
When I started developing 'Hawker Food Cravings' in Australia, I was delighted to see 'Hokkien Mee' on the menu of an Asian restaurant in Perth. So I ordered it, mouth salivating at the thoughts of egg and rice noodle stir fried together with prawns. Already, I was dreaming of the spiciness of the sambal mixed with the lime juice.
Instead, I was served with the KL version of Hokkien Mee, which consists of egg noodles stir fried with dark soy sauce. The only other time I was served with egg and rice noodles when I ordered Hokkien Mee, they came in soup - Hokkien Mee Penang style.
Bak Chor Mee is also known as Minced Meat Noodle. It consists of springy flat yellow noodles that are lightly tossed in a mixture of chilli, oil/ lard, soy sauce and vinegar. Minced pork & mushrooms, meat balls & beansprouts often accompany this dish with lettuce added as a garnishing. While a common variant (Mee Pok, made with fishballs and sliced fishcakes) is also served in Malaysia, my malaysian friends still have not heard of Bak Chor Mee being served in their home towns.
Most people normally eat their Bak Chor Mee 'dry' rather than in soup to fully appreciate the sauce that the noodles are tossed in.
Satay is a delicacy that is familiar to most people. Variants of this appetizer exist in almost all parts of the globe; the Singaporean Style Satay has small chunks of meat that is grilled over a charcoal fire. They are then served with peanut sauce, cucumber chunks and onion as well as sticky rice. The meat is normally chicken, beef or mutton.
Satay Recommendations: Lau Pa Sat (positives: cleaner choice & it's a historical landmark to boot), Newton Food Centre, East Coast Lagoon Food Village (personally, I'd choose East Coast Lagoon because they have awesome BBQ Stingray here too & you can take a walk by the beach to burn off some calories after).
Will You Excuse Me, I'm Drooling Just Looking At This?
I just L-O-V-E BBQ Stingray. Even though the sambal chilli is so spicy, I tend to end up in tears after a few bites. Some things are just worth your tears, and this is one of them.
I think a late night trip to East Coast Lagoon Food Village is on the books now!
Recommendations for Sambal BBQ Stingray: East Coast Lagoon Food Village, Newton Food Centre
Laksa in Singapore is not normally served with egg noodles (*shudder*), overcooked chicken pieces (god forbid) or bland soup that calls itself curry. Good Singaporean Laksa is made up of unique laksa style noodles that are cut up into shorter pieces and prepared nyonya style, with a rich coconut gravy and sambal chilli added to taste. Cockles, strips of fishcake and beansprouts are often added to this dish as well.
Take note: don't mix the sambal in with the gravy if you are unable to take chilli. My friend did so... to the peril of his tongue. He found it EXTREMELY uncomfortable to speak the next day because of a 'swollen tongue!'
The Origins of Chilli Crab is hotly (har har) disputed, with some claiming that it originated from Singapore whereas others state that Malaysia was responsible for the creation of Chilli Crab. The beauty of this dish lies in the gravy that is savory AND sweet and well... not very chilli-ish at all. Eggs are added at the end of the cooking process to create an egg sauce type texture and Mantou (fried bread) is normally served with this dish to dip into the gravy.
Another popular variant of cooking crabs in Singapore is the Black Pepper Crab, which is not served with soup style gravy. Instead, the crab is coated with a fragrant pepper sauce and is drier in nature compared to the Traditional Chilli Crab.
When it comes to Tau Huey I'm really particular. I normally don't like Tau Huey from most places other than the famous Rocher Beancurd outlet in Geylang. The beancurd here is silky smooth throughout and their fried bread offerings (you tiao) & Portuguese egg tarts are to die for as well.
