Wrap & Roll @ The Star Vista

If you have been to Vietnam, you would probably heard of Wrap & Roll and dine there. I used to travel quite a bit to Ho Chi Minh City a couple of years back and I have enjoyed the food at Wrap & Roll which brings to the table authentic Vietnamese cuisine at a relax comtempoary ambience.

A couple of weeks back, I was checking out the new Star Vista Mall at Buona Vista and I was deciding where to have lunch when I chanced upon Wrap & Roll. I am glad someone has brought the restaurant to Singapore. Without a doubt, my lunch was decided.

Pho Beef in Steamed Rice Paper Roll and Minced Pork in Steamed Rice Paper Roll 4.2/5

Vietnamese cuisine is all about fresh vegetables & herbs, rice paper roll and fish sauce. After 2 years of research before they opened their first restaurant Feb 2006 in Vietnam, Wrap & Roll not only brings the 4 key elements of Vietnamese cuisine to the table but also the different styles of North, Central and South Vietnamese cuisines.

The rolls are the star of Wrap & Roll. The Singapore outlet seems to have lesser varieties compared to the Vietnam restaurants. Anyway, I tried the Taste of Hanoi (North Vietnam) rolls ($9.90). I preferred the fresh vegetables and herbs of the Pho Beef in Steamed Rice Paper Roll to the Minced Pork in Steamed Rice Paper Roll. The latter with the minced pork stuffing and pork floss on top resembles those Chee Cheong Fan we have for dim sum.

Grilled Pork Chop Rice with Salted Egg Pudding 3.8/5

My partner was famished so she ordered the Grilled Pork Chop Rice with Salted Egg Pudding ($12.90). The grilled pork was beautifully marinated and was very flavourful. Unfortunately it was a bit too dry to our likings. However we loved the salted egg pudding. It is similar to the Chinese's meatball and there is also chye poh in it.

Vietnamese Fish Noodle Soup 4.2/5

I was looking for something light as I had a heavy breakfast so I ordered the Vietnamese Fish Noodle Soup ($15.90). I called it the Vietnamese Yong Tau Foo. There were ingredients stuffed with fish pastes, fish balls, fish slices and vegetables in it. The Vietnamese rice vermicelli was firm and silky which was very delectable with the light and refreshing soup.

Here is a video of Wrap and Roll which I found online that will tell you more about the restaurant.


Wrap & Roll
The Star Vista
1 Vista Exchange Green
#B1-11
Singapore 138617
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wrap.roll.sg
Website: http://www.wrap-roll.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Buona Vista (CC Line, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 10am - 10pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 11pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Buona Vista MRT station. Take exit A or C. Follow the shelved walkway and walk to Star Vista. Journey time about 5 minutes.

Lunch at Ellena's (Cuisine Paradise) Place

A couple of months back, Ellena aka Cuisine Paradise invited us over to here place for lunch. I thought it would be just be a normal home cooked meal with a couple of close foodies we get to know one another through our blogging journey. I was quite taken back that she actually prepared a feast for us. It is amazing that she can cook 13 dishes in like 2.5 hours.

Red Wine Lees Chicken

Steam Tofu with Minced Meat

Okara Omelette

Baked Rosemary Honey Chicken Mid-Joint

Fried CP Gyoza and Fishball

Baked Salmon with Sweet Corn, Tomato and Cheese

Steamed Fish with Kiwi Fruits

Steamed Chicken with Rice Wine

Steamed Egg with Salted Fish Meatball

Steamed Drunken Prawns

Above were all the beautiful dishes Ellena cooked on the spot. I was at the kitchen to witness all these and managed to pick up a few tips from her. If you want to try cooking any of the above dishes, you can check out Ellena aka Cuisine Paradise post at http://ellenaguan.blogspot.sg/2012/09/6-new-recipes-lunch-gathering-at-my.html for the recipes.

Pandan Cupcakes

For the lunch gathering, Hazel aka AiMakan also made us some lovely pandan cupcakes.

Chocolate Mocha Mousse Cake

Actually there was a planned surprise waiting for Hazel. We planned to celebrate Hazel's birthday and Celes aka Celestialdelish has baked a chocolate mocha mousse cake for the celebration. The receipe can be found at http://www.celestialdelish.com/2012/09/chocolate-mocha-mousse-cake.html

Mission successful! Our beautiful Hazel with her birthday cake.

Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant @ Gardens by the Bay

Following the success of Majestic Restaurant and Jing, Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant at Gardens by the Bay is the newest venture by award winning Chef Yong Bing Ngen. With the number of seafood restaurant around the island and Singaporean's love for seafood, Chef Yong has always wanted to open a seafood restaurant himself too but he could not find a right location until the current venue came along.

The live seafood tanks with all the live stocks from around the world flank the entrance as one enters the restaurant.

Located just below the Flower Dome, the 110 seater restaurant offers a luxurious view of the Marina Bay Waterfront.

I am told that all the flower displays around the restaurant and on the table top were all arranged by Chef's wife weekly.

Wasabi Chips 4/5

These Wasabi Chips were very addictive while we waited for dinner to be served.

Although Majestic Bay is a seafood restaurant, dim sum is available during lunch. The dim sum are created by Guangzhou borned Chef Li Shou Tao who has been making dim sum for over 2 decades.

Baked BBQ Pork Bun 4.5/5

I enjoyed the Baked BBQ Pork Bun ($4.20 for 3pc) a lot. The bun was sugar glazed and the texture was spongy and soft like cotton. It felt like my teeth sunk into a marshmallow bun.

Fresh Prawn Dumpling 4/5

The Fresh Prawn Dumpling ($4.80 for 4pc) with its silky dumpling skin and fresh crunchy prawn were just calling out for me to dive into them.

Siew Mai 4/5

The Siew Mai ($4.50 for 4pc) was succulent with a nice hint of mushroom aroma.

Seared Chilli Crab Meat Bun 4.8/5

If you enjoy eating fried ManTou with Chilli Crab gravy, then the Seared Chilli Crab Meat Bun ($4.50 for 3pc) is a must try. With the delectable chilli crab meat filling, the bun was first steamed and then pan seared. This innovation of combining local fare into traditional dim sum is an alternative way to enjoy the chilli crab.

Soup of the day 4.2/5

The soup of the day was Pork Rib Soup with Sweet Corn, Red and Green Carrot ($18/$27). Boiled for a good 6 hours, the soup was hearty and comforting. In fact I was quite curious with my first encounter of green carrot. The taste and texture are quite similar to both carrot and radish combined.

Sauteed Wild Mushroom and Asparagus 4.2/5

The Sauteed Wild Mushroom and Asparagus ($18/$27) wok fried with minced garlic was simple but yet so fragrant with all the nature flavours of the ingredients coming together.

Bay's Signature "Kopi" Sauce Crab 4.2/5

Chef Yong wanted to create a crab dish that is distinctively Singapore when he opened Majestic Bay.  With his love for coffee and a good 3 months of research, the Bay's Signature "Kopi" Sauce Crab (market price) is born. The special coffee sauce is made from a blend of 3 different coffee beans. Apple jam was also added to sweeten it. Chinese white wine is poured onto the crab and ignited at the table filling the restaurant with the strong coffee aroma. This probably will be the next iconic crab dish after the chilli crab, black pepper crab and salted egg yolk crab.

Baked Rice with Assorted Seafood 4.2/5

Baked Rice with Assorted Seafood 4.2/5

Another signature dish at Majestic Bay is the Baked Rice with Assorted Seafood ($68/$88). Served and presented like the Spanish paella, the rice was first fried before baking in cheese. A fusion dish with the abundance of fresh sea treasures and the bold robust flavours got the approval from the group.

Sweet Temptation 4.2/5

Dessert was Sweet Temptation ($20 for 4 pax). The sweet temptation platter comes with Black Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Shredded Coconut, Glutinous Rice with Fresh Cream Stuffing, Steamed Custard Bun with Salted Egg Yolk and Bay's Chinese Pancake with Red Bean Paste.

All 4 desserts were so good that I can't decide which is my favourite. The Black Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Shredded Coconut probably is the more uncommon among all. The black glutinous rice dumping comes with yam paste filling. It is like having both Pulut Hitam and Orh Nee in one dessert.

Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant is likely to be a shining star in Singapore's food and beverage scene with its exquisite and innovative dishes. It is also a perfect venue for all sort of occasions with its stragetic and beautiful location facing the marina bay waterfront. I was there on weekday evening for dinner and there were already a constant flow of tourists, corporate and walked in diners.


Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant
Gardens by the Bay
Flower Dome
18 Marina Gardens Drive
#01-10
Singapore 018953
Tel: +65 66046604
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MajesticBay
Website: http://www.majesticbay.sg
Nearest MRT: Bayfront (CC Line, DT Line), Marina Bay (CC Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 1145am - 230pm, 545pm - 930pm (last order)
Sat, Sun & PH: 1130am - 230pm, 545pm - 930pm (last order)

Direction:
1) Alight at Marina Bay MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Marina Bay MRT station (Stop ID 03311). Take bus no. 400. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to vistor centre. Follow the sheltered walkway to flower dome direction. At the ticketing counters, take the escalator on the right side. Head down the escalator and the restaurant is on the left. Journey time about 20 minutes.

2) Alight at Bayfront MRT station. Take Exit B. Follow the underground link way. Exit and cross the Dragonfly Bridge into Gardens by the bay. Turn left and keep walking straight cutting through the Malay Garden, Chinese Garden and Indian Garden towards the flower dome. At the ticketing counters, take the escalator on the right side. Head down the escalator and the restaurant is on the left.  Journey time about 15 minutes.

Forture Seafood Steamboat @ Bukit Timah

Back in October 2012, I attended the monthly makansutra dinner which was held at Forture Seafood Steamboat along Bukit Timah Road. I understand from a few of the regulars that this is the 2nd time makansutra dinner is held here because the former chef (Ah Loy) has returned to helm the kitchen again.

Supreme Dragon & Phoenix Platter 4/5

The dinner started with the Supreme Dragon & Phoenix Platter. When this was served, everyone on the table was fascinated by the colourful pink and purple sauces. It turned out they were strawberry (pink) and dragon fruit (purple) sauces for the deep fried prawn. The deep fried chicken on the hand was dressed in a lime and lemon sauce topped with sesame.

Deep Fried Fresh Mushroom 3.5/5

The Deep Fried Fresh Mushroom was nicely executed bringing out the nature earthy flavour of the fresh mushroom.

Steamed Garoupa in Green Curry Sauce 4/5

The Steamed Garoupa in Green Curry Sauce was a welcoming different from the usual cooking styles for steamed fish. The fish was steamed perfectly to tender soft and the accompanying green curry sauce was very appetising.

Stir-Fried Vegetable with Dried Scallops 3/5

The Stir-Fried Vegetable with Dried Scallops was the first time I encountered the Qing Long Cai literally translated as Green Dragon Vegetable. It is quite similar to chives but does not taste like it and comes with a crunchy texture. The toughness of the dried scallop was a great disappointment which was the downfall of the dish.

Salted Baked Chicken 4.2/5

The comforting kampong style Salted Baked Chicken was delightful addition to the dinner. However, the star was the minced sand ginger dipping sauce. The chef has specially imported them from Malaysia. Our table was raving about the sauce and the chef was very kind to give us some to bring home.

Crispy Duck Roll 3.8/5

The Crispy Duck Roll was inspired by the popular Beijing Duck. The succulent duck sandwiched between 2 thin layers of pancake skin was a nice twist by the chef.

Braised Herbal Pig Trotter 4/5

The Braised Herbal Pig Trotter was huge! The meat was tender and fell off the bone with ease. It also came with a nice herbally taste which was not overpowering.

Crispy Hor Fun 4/5

Which Zi Cha place prepares the Hor Fun this way? I assume it takes a lot of work to fry the hor fun to such a beautiful crisp. The Crispy Hor Fun served together with seafood such as scallops, fish maw and sea cucumberwas is definitely something different from the norm and worth trying.

Japanese Sweet Potato 4/5

Wrapping up the night, we ended our dinner with a Japanese Sweet Potato with sago dessert.

For a Zi Char place, I find that Forture Seafood Steamboat is a notch better than most with their creativity and bold flavours in their dishes. For inform, this place is formally known as Fortune Seafood. They dropped the "N" and replaced it with "R" after fengshui master suggested that it is better for their business.


Forture Seafood Steamboat
887 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 279896
Tel: +65 64695957
Nearest MRT: Sixth Avenue (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 230pm, 5pm - 1130pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Sixth Avenue MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Sixth Avenue MRT station (Stop ID 41081). Take bus number 66, 67, 151, 154, 170 or 171. Alight 2 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]

Taiwan Trip September 2012 - iTaipei Service Apartment (京站國際酒店式公寓)

After our stay at Hualian, Taiwan, I travelled back to Taipei and stay at iTaipei Service Apartment (京站國際酒店式公寓) for a couple of days before returning to Singapore. iTaipei which is actually a residential apartment which some rooms are rented out to holiday makers like me. This is a new trend in Taiwan. The service apartment is conveniently located just opposite Taipei Main Station and on top of QSquare Shopping Mall.

At iTaipei Service Apartment, there are several theme rooms such as French Sentiment, Purple Charm, Japanese Zen style, Amercian Neoclassicism, Paris Vogue, Grander Chinese style, Modern Bvlgari and Armani Style. We got the Modern Bvlagri room and I simply fell in love with the interior design.

The TV can be rotated 360 degree to face either the sitting area or the bed.

A small kitchen area if you want to prepare your own meals.

The toilet is quite small but I am not complaining. It comes with rain shower too.

The standard amenities are provided at the service apartment. If you need to wash your clothes, there is washing machine too.

(photo from iTaipei website)

With its strategic location that is near to basically all the transportation, I would recommend hotel makers to consider iTaipei service apartment. In addition, it is just located above the QSquare Shopping Mall. The only inconvenient is locating the check in area for the service apartment. It is actually located outside the shopping mall near exit Y1/Y3 (beside the carpark entrance). Just overcome this obstacle and you will find that iTaipei service apartment is a nice place to stay in Taiwan and reasonable priced too.


iTaipei Service Apartment (京站國際酒店式公寓)
Website：http://www.myresort.com.tw/
Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/taipei.apartment
E-mail：itaipei@mail.jsl.com.tw