The Hand Burger: Messy when you use hands!

Some time back, I was told of this new burger joint at Raffles City basement serving good burgers in a hip environment, so off I went for a weekend dinner visit!




Brightly lighted with mirror walls, the place gave a clean look and seemingly bigger than it actually was. The only gripe I had was though I knew they were trying to allow more walking space by having pushed-in seats, the cubic design with little back-rest was rather uncomfortable with the "rushing you to leave" feeling.

The menu itself was uniquely designed with a interesting mix of items. They even had a chef's special serving duck leg confit burger! Waitresses were also pleasent in taking orders, attentive enough to serve water while refilling them promptly.


Battered Onion Rings ($4.80)

Served hot and crispy, it was quite good to nibble on with the tartar and bbq sauces. But I realised that one ring had only one miserable slice coated with the thick batter. Would be better if they actually put more onion inside.



Chilled Coleslaw in Tomato, Skinned-On Fries

Our main orders came with choices of the two sides, so we tried one of each. The tomoto was quite a novelty, served chilled in a tingy sour sauce and would perhaps be good for people who wants something refreshing to go with their burger. But for me, the thick-cut fries was great, extra points for the skin and light dosage of salt.


Beer-battered Dory Burger with Egg ($15.80)

Okay can anyone please tell me, how well must a beer-battered fish taste to be really counted as beer-battered? Because everytime we order something that says so, I could hardly taste the beer within! But that aside, the dory was thick and succulent served in two large pieces. My girlfriend is a lover for runny egg and fish, so this combo kept her rather happy!


The Works Burger ($16.80)

I guess this is one of the taller burger they could offer! Bacon, sauteed mushrooms, onion rings, sunny side-up, veggies, and one thick beef patty with melted cheese. Shiok! They also had this sweet tasting jam within that went really well with the rest of the savoury stuffs.

I forgot to mention that all their buns were specially made and toasted with a soft and fluffy interior. But I had to pick on their beef patty which was disappointly dry and lack of flavour. Somehow I enjoyed the other toppings more than the main offering. It would be really good if they could make it more beefy and juicy!

Bill for two was $44.02 after taxes. Not too bad considering the restaurant setting, generous portions and warm service. I saw a few other tempting choices (Parmesan Prawncake!)on the menu that would perhaps make me return, but maybe not soon with so many other burger places out there to try!

Exams: Almost Over!

Sorry for the lack of update this week, on a really tight revision schedule for exams!



So in the meantime, a shot of the drool-inducing US boneless beef short ribs thats waiting for me at home.. Mmmmm....

Freedom on Thursday!

Al Azhar: Supper time!

When mugging deep into the night, you started to have information overload and the growling of your stomach grew louder. Then the light of hope blinked on the handphone, one of your driving buddies asking you out for supper. Bring it on!



People staying in the west would probably know more about this stretch of shophouses opposite Beauty World offering excellent supper choices. We settled for the less-crowded Al Azhar and was spoilt for choice with its comprenhensive menu: Chinese, Malay, Indian, Western, Thai, they got it all covered!


Iced Teh Cino ($2.00)

I think this is pretty much a standard drink when eating at places like this. Would be better if its just a little bit less sweet.


Mee Goreng ($3.50)

With a deceptive fiery red appearence, the mee goreng was only lightly spiced and had a good charred taste to it. Fried with cabbage, eggs and minced chicken, the simple combination was good enough to satisfy my carbo craving!



Mee Hokkien ($4.00), Cheese Mushroom Thosai ($2.80)

This was our first attempt having hokkien mee in a non-chinese place. Honestly, it was not bad with "wok-hei"ness and a good mix of beehon and yellow noodles. But I think the savoury sauce lacks that bit of push factor that probably only lard could give.

I'm still getting confused by the sauces that came with the thosai, but luckily it was not the case of tasting alike and was rather good to dip in.


Chicken/Mutton Satay ($0.60 per stick)

We did not had the power satay that IeatIshootIpost raved about, but the normal ones were already pretty good. Even the mutton ones were well-marinated with a slight crisp coating the tender meat. Chomp down every single one gleefully!

To all students: Mug hard and all the best!

Werner's Oven: DAC Oktoberfest!

In the midst of all the projects, presentations and quizzes, Deli Aprecio Club managed to host another event for its members, taking studies temporary off the mind and enjoyed a night of meat devouring, beer guzzling and merrymaking. Oktoberfest @ Werner’s Oven!




Located near Siglap Centre, this little German eatery had been around for a long time. They whipped up a special menu for the occasion and even flown in a band all the way from Berlin! DAC booked 40 seats that night and was lucky to do so early, because it was a full house!



We started off with the German Pretzel that was warm and lightly salted. Good enough to be eaten on its own!



Then we shared the mega set for 4 that covered almost everything!




Frankly speaking, I couldn't remember what were the different types of sausages but they were really good! One had herbs in it while another was slighly spicy, and all were soft, meaty and bursting with juice! There were also two pieces of meatloaf hidden below that had the texture of ham but tasted interestingly like luncheon meat.

And the pork knuckle was by the far the best you can find in Singapore. Yes its even better than the one I had at Paulaner not long ago. Extremly crispy, sticky gooey collagen underneath and tender flavourful meat all round. I could go on to gnaw on the bone!



The half spring chicken was pretty average and good eaten with the brown gravy, accompanied by classic thick cut fries.




The two accompanying sides were also very well done. The sauerkraut was marinated nicely, tingely sour and refresh our hunger for more meat, while the mashed potato was smooth and buttery, just the way I like it!



And what's Oktoberfest without a mug of refreshing German beer? Cheers!



Keen to join us at next year's Oktoberfest? We are planning for a return already!

Cafe By The Quad: Laid-back lunch!

Projects, presentations and quizzes, the weeks are forever packed. So just a quick one before i get back to my work!



Situated beside the School of Biological Science, Cafe by the Quad is more spacious and quient than the other canteens in NTU, good for a laid-back lunch with friends if you arn't rushing for classes. Technically, this place is more like a Ikea-styled cafeteria, where you order from different stores and make payment at a checkout counter. The al-fresco area is fine to dine at when there is no blazing sun, or you can always opt for the aircon seatings inside.


Roasted Beef Set (~$6.00)

I ordered this out of curiousity of how they served this, but was rather disappointed that it only came in 3 thin slices with the standard sides. Taste-wise it was only average and perhaps not filling for guys. I heard the western store are better known for their other stuffs so probably I just chose the wrong thing.


Tempura Set (~$5.00)

The japanese vendor had a variety of bento and udon sets. The prawn bento came complete with sides and fruits, nothing exceptionally well done but still pleasent to lunch on.


Laksa (~$3.00)

Prior to coming here, everyone was saying that the laksa at the Quad is a must-try. Well to be honest, don't expect it to blow you away like the ones in katong, but rather just a above average bowl of laksa. It would have been better for me if they added in more coconut milk.

Another thing I heard was that they served rather good Zi Char dishes at night, must keep in mind to drop by some other time for a try. Until then, back to the books!