Tuesday, September 9, 2014

PAUL @ Westgate

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PAUL, one of the earliest French bakery-restaurant that set foot in Singapore, has just introduced executive lunch and dinner sets to their restaurants at Westgate and Tanglin Mall. Both set menus include some of the all-time favourites from their savoury range.

For the lunch set, diners get to enjoy their main courses with complimentary coffee, tea or ice tea for just $13.90. I get to choose from 4 dishes - Roulade de Daurade (pacific dory flavoured with paprika, served with creamy tomato sauce), the Cuisse de Poulet Rotie (roasted chicken leg served with salad and roast potato), the Salade Nicoise (tuna salad with olives and eggs), and the Club Poulet (smoked chicken sandwich served with salad and olives). I went for Roulade de Daurade. Though i'm not a fan of dory fish but I was quite intrigued by the use of paprika and creamy tomato sauce.

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Roulade de Daurade 3/5

My fish came, looking a little too dark. I assumed it was due to the paprika seasoning. Given the texture of dory fish, I expect the meat to fall apart easily. But this wasn't the case. The fish was over baked. The sides were too tough for me to slice it. I could only slice it from its middle where the meat was much more tender. It was heavily salted, without much taste of the paprika or the subtle sweetness of the fish. The saving grace was the creamy tomato sauce. It was light with a tinge of sweetness, which balanced the saltiness. I particularly like the roasted bell pepper lying at the bottom of the fish. I thought its smoky and sweet flavour complimented the fish really well. Some greens or carbs would be good to bulk up this dish. I find it too light for a meal.

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The executive dinner menu is more wholesome with a selection of heartier dishes - Traditional Beef Stew, Roulade de Daurade, Salade Caesar and Saute de Poulet aux Champignons (roasted chicken chunks in a creamy sautéed mushroom sauce). For $18.90, it comes with a soup of the day. I decided to go for the traditional beef stew.

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Carrot Soup 4.2/5

Carrot soup was the soup of the day. It was my first time trying a carrot soup and I love it! It was light, with the natural sweetness of the carrot. It was well pureed and not harsh to my tongue at all.

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Traditional Beef Stew 4/5

My Beef Stew was served promptly. The carrots and potatoes were nicely soften but slightly too salty for me, perhaps due to the stew. Fortunately, the beef chunks managed to retain its natural taste. Every piece was extremely tender and juicy. The bread that came along with it was a bit hard. I feel that thicker and fluffier slices of bread would be more suitable. Overall, the dinner did not disappoint me. It would have been even better if hot tea was included as one of the beverages' choices.

The executive set lunch is available from 11.30am to 2.30pm, Mondays to Fridays, except on public holidays. The executive set dinner is available from 6pm onwards, Mondays to Thursdays, except on public holidays. Bon appetite!

Written By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. 


PAUL
Westgate
3 Gateway Drive
Singapore 608532
Tel: +65 63699080
Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/PAUL1889.singapore
Website: http://www.paul-singapore.com/
Nearest MRT: Jurong East (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 930pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Jurong East MRT Station. Take Exit A. Walk to Westgate Mall. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Old Hen Cafe @ Rangoon Road

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Interesting name there for a cafe to be called Old Hen. Not sure exactly what is the reason behind it but definitely is a catchy one. Upon hearing about this place, I made my way down with my foodies friend to check out what this place is all about.

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Finally a cafe without the brick walls. I like the simple and clean layout of the cafe using the warm sunlight to light up the place. Glass bottles and pot of green plants can be spotted at various corner of the cafe giving it a nice simple touch which further brightens up the atmosphere.

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White 4/5

Coffee here is kept simple to just black or white with 3oz or 5oz. I went for the White ($4/$4.50) which was pretty decent, mid body, not to acidic and easy to drink. Coffee beans are sourced from Oriole.

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Different from most hipster cafe, Old Hen Cafe offers Cold Brew Coffee ($6/$6.50) on their menu. If you have tasted those iced can coffee, it taste similar. It is light and milky which made it quite refreshing and easy to drink. I good chance from the usual to beat the heat.

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Buttermilk Waffles 2.5/5

he Buttermilk Waffle ($9) is served with blueberry compote and fresh strawberries drizzled with pure maple syrup and valrhona chocolate sauce. It is then topped with honey infused greek yogurt. The cafe ran out of strawberries so they given us more blueberries instead. Unfortunately I did not like my the waffle, it was quite bland. We actually struggled to finish it.

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Old Hen Cafe is a quiet and small little humble place. It will be good for one who wants to have a decent cup of coffee and self time away from those crowded hipster cafe. Food wise, it is simple with much rooms for improvement.


Old Hen Cafe
88 Rangoon Road
#01-03
Singapore 218374
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oldhencoffee
Website: http://oldhencoffee.com/
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon: 12pm - 10pm
Wed-Fri: 12pm - 10pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn left and walk to traffic junction. Cross the road to Rangoon Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]