Sunday, March 20, 2016

Montana Brew Bar @POMO

Finished my medical appointment early, so dated hubby for lunch in town. We decided to try out the savory waffles from Montana, a specialty coffee house located at POMO, that is also well known for their creative waffles.





Their simple menu consists of 3 category of food, Savory Waffles, Sweet Waffles and Pastas. There's also a $11.90+ set lunch option which includes a pasta dish and a drink.

On the drinks page, the inhouse specialty, Coconut Cold Brew coffee, was their signature brew. Regular espresso coffee, filtered coffee, a couple of artisan teas and wine are also available.



We ordered two savory waffles for main course and one sweet waffle as dessert.

Southern Fried Chicken Waffle $14.50+, crispy fried chicken with tangy coleslaw served with corn salsa on the side. The crispy waffles were nicely done and pairs well with the fried chicken. It's a pretty decent dish but the chicken pales in comparison to Arteastiq's Thai style chicken waffle though. The later had a much more appealing dressing for their savory fried chicken waffle.




Assam Crab Waffle $18+, spice infused waffle with crab meat and pineapple cucumber salsa served with assam gula melaka mayo on the side. This waffle has too much going on in one single dish, and the soft cakey waffle got soggy soon after soaking up the salsa dressing. Overall, we did not enjoy this dish.


Chocolate Banana Waffle $14.50+, served with grilled bananas, granola, hazelnut rocher ice cream and drizzled with salted caramel sauce. This waffle did much better than the savory ones. The crispy chocolate waffles tasted heavenly with the sweet bananas and cool ice cream. Thumbs up.



For drinks, we tried their signature Coconut Cold Brew Coffee $6.80+, created by steeping ground coffee in coconut water. Served with a coconut ice sphere, this chilled black coffee was a delight to drink. The subtle hints of coconut water sweetness gave it a refreshing and very unique taste. I like it.



Other beverages we had were Hot Chocolate $5.50+ and Spiced Chai Latte $5.50+. They were rather decent. I love my chocolaty hot chocolate with its lovely latte art.




It was an interesting adventure exploring the creative waffles at Montana. Some waffle flavors may be too creative for our palates, but we think that they do have a lot of potential. The specialty cold brew coffee does leave a pleasant impression though. We would order the other variants to try next time.


Montana Brew Bar
1 Selegie Road #02-25 PoMo
Singapore 188306

Tel: +65 9833 1790

Hours
Mon - Thu: 11am to 10pm
Fri:              11am to 11pm
Sat/PH:       9am to 11pm
Sun:            9am to 10pm





Saturday, March 19, 2016

Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe @Orchard

Met up for a birthday dinner treat for Dec sista. We picked this place as it has 1 for 1 main course deal on The Entertainer App, and also it has been many years since we visited it. The restaurant still looks the same with that iconic vintage Cadillac hanging atop the entrance.

Car Model - 1961 Cadillac Series 62 Deville

The usual Rock inspired decor theme with all kinds of electric guitars lining the walls, and various music memorabilia from some of the greatest Rock legends.





We ordered a main course each and one appetizer dish for sharing. But first, some refreshing mocktail drinks to start the dinner off proper. Mango Berry Cooler $13++ each.


Buffalo Wings $17++, served with blue cheese dip and raw carrot and celery sticks. They were nicely done and pretty addictive to much on.


For my main course, it's the Hickory BBQ Ribs (full rack) $34++, served with coleslaw and fries. The ribs were delicious, meat was tender and well flavored with smoky hickory sauce.


Other mains ordered were Hickory Smoked BBQ Combo $36++ (Ribs, Chicken & Pulled Pork), and Bacon & Cheese Wagyu Burger $32++. Both were well received by the girls.




Hard Rock Cafe is still the place to go to for classic American food. Despite being in operations for over 25yrs in SG, food quality and service are still well maintained. It's not a bad choice for friends to hang out over yummy food and drinks, while listening to Rock music.


Hard Rock Cafe @Orchard
50 Cuscaden Road, #02-01, HPL House
Singapore 249724

Tel: +65-62355232

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 11:30AM-12:00AM
Fri-Sun 11:30AM-2:00AM
Last Order @ 10:30PM












Buffet Lunch at Colony @Ritz Carlton

Met up with sistas for birthday celebration at the newly revamped Colony restaurant at the glitzy Ritz Carlton hotel. The new space had been transformed from its former greenhouse theme into contemporary British-colonial theme. It looks nothing short of fabulous.













The new buffet spread is designed around a Seven 'Live' Conservatory Kitchens theme.

1. The Ice Bar
2. The Grill & Rotisserie
3. The Steam Basket
4. The Wok
5. The Tandoor
6. The Fruit Stall
7. The Patisserie

Before we start digging in, a walkabout to check out the spread is a must. Let's take a look at what the 'seven kitchens' are about.

The Ice Bar
The freshest crustaceans on ice, salads, cold cuts and cheeses. It's an absolute feast for the eyes.













The Grill & Rotisserie
A selection of Western and Asian grilled delicacies. HK style roast meats, local Hainanese chicken rice & satay, western roasts carving station and grilled vegetables.




The Steam Basket
Asian noodles Live station, soups and assorted steamed dim sum delights. Check out their signature Laksa with homemade lobster balls.



The Wok
A myriad of local wok-fried dishes. Seafood, meats, veggies and carbo dishes to make the diner's job of decision making so much harder than it already is.



The Tandoor
Indian style meats, seafood and breads cooked in a traditional tandoor oven. All served in glistening traditional Indian copper ware.


The Fruit Stall
An assortment of whole fruits and fresh pressed fruit juices. The staffs here will help diners customize their own made-to-order juices.



The Patisserie
A decadent selection of sweet treats and a Live pancake station. Cakes, kuehs, custards/mousse, chocolates, ice cream and plenty of candies to spoil the diners.







My food choices, some are sharing portions for us all. 

I loved the super fresh seafood, sushi & sashimi, dim sum, HK roasts, noodle soup, nonya kuehs, pancakes and the ice cream. The cooked food from 'The Wok' station was kinda disappointing with over-seasoned salty dishes and also overcooked ones. My other gripe would be some of the overly sweet desserts (cakes & custard/mousse), they looked gorgeous but taste otherwise...














Lastly, we have a complimentary cake for the birthday girl. We took a lot of photos with it but eventually failed to finish it, of course.



It has been a while since I come across a buffet spread this good, excellent variety, generous use of premium ingredients, well executed and great tasting dishes. Despite some shortcomings with 'The Wok' and a couple of below expectation desserts, we were definitely impressed with the lunch buffet spread. The price was a reasonable $58++ per pax for all the good stuffs mentioned here, quite worthy of an occasional splurge.


Colony @The Ritz-Carlton
7 Raffles Avenue 
Singapore 039799

Tel: +(65) 64345288

HOURS
Breakfast
Daily
6:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 
(last order at 10:15 a.m.) 

Lunch
Monday to Saturday
12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

Afternoon Tea
Monday to Saturday
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. 
(last order at 5:15 p.m.) 

Dinner
Daily
6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. 
(last order at 10:15 p.m.)

Vintage Champagne Brunch
Sundays
12 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. 
(Last order at 3:15 p.m.)