Café del Opherus

porn’s @ 28 Liang Seah Street

mcjonzy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:03:21 +0000

While there was nothing sexy about porn’s, it was authentically Thai and good at being so.

The hype and overexposure (pun intended) surrounding this celebrity eatery (co-opened by MediaCorp artist Pornsak Prajakwit) was met with caution and a sceptical mindset. I was also curious as to how it is surviving in an area full of established Thai restaurants.

And having tasted Thai food from hole-in-the-wall eateries at Sunshine Plaza (Aroy Dee Thai Cafe) and Clover Way (Jai Thai), I was wondering if this famous Thai place can match the formers’ standards.

I wasn’t disappointed, sort of.

Nam Ga Jeab, Freshly brewed Thai roselle & Lime drink (S$3.90)

For drinks, the Nam Ga Jeab, a freshly-brewed Thai roselle & Lime drink which was refreshing and tasted like Bandung without the milk. Roselle is actually a species of hibiscus.

Tod Mun Goong, Prawn Cake (S$8.50)

The star of the evening was undoubtedly, Tod Mun Goong or prawn cakes. As a prawn cake junkie, Cc was singing its praises the moment she bit into this dish. It tasted just as good even when after it cooled. Definitely worth the $$$.

Gai Takai, Lemongrass Chicken (S$7)

Perhaps the most disappointing order of the evening. The Gai Takai tasted like glorified meat balls and were almost tasteless. It was supposed to be served in a lemongrass stick. Now it’s just a … stick.

Gang Keaw Wan, Thai Green Curry (S$10.90)

Gang Keaw Wan: Great for congested noses

The Gang Keaw Wan (Thai Green Curry) was another star – it wasn’t as spicy as the past green curries I tasted but it was full of flavours and texture. The chicken strips were not overcooked while the vegetable (eggplants?) was soft but not mushy.

Kapow Moo, Stir Fried Minced Pork with Basil Leaves (S$8.50)

Another recommended dish on the menu (look out for a blue elephant), this Kapow Moo sounds better than it tastes.

While porn’s didn’t hit the right bells and whistles during my first visit, it’s definitely on the to-visit-again shortlist. There are other dishes which look promising. And I’m not talking about Thai staples like Khao Pad Talay (Thai Seafood Fried Rice), Tom Yom Goong or Pad Thai.

The service (on a Tuesday evening) was good while I thought having the authentic Thai name of the dishes followed by the English translation on the menu was a nice touch.

porn’s
28, Liang Seah Street
http://maps.google.com.sg/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=28,+Liang+Seah+Street&aq=&sll=1.359,103.818&sspn=0.440701,0.727158&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=28+Liang+Seah+St,+189049&ll=1.29825,103.856281&spn=0.003218,0.003219&z=17&iwloc=A&output=embed
View Larger Map
Mon – Sat
12pm – 3pm; 6pm – 10pm
Sun
6pm – 10pm
Also at: 81 Upper East Coast Road, Goodwill Court

Filed under: Liang Seah Street, Thai, Where Tagged: Liang Seah Street, Pornsak, thai

Izakaya Nijumaru @ Cuppage Plaza

mcjonzy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:45:39 +0000

Tasty Buta no Shogayaki (Sauteed Pork with bawang)

One of the foodie gems at Singapore’s ‘Little Japan’ - Izakya Nijumaru is a little like a Japanese zhi-char. You can order bentos, yakitoris, udons, sashimi sets in very authentic Japanese eatery-bar setting. It helps a lot that even authentic Japanese expats are spotted eating there!

One troubling thing that I find that most non-Japanese customers face is the menu which is exclusively listed in Japanese.

To overcome this problem, a good tip is to inform the waitresses directly what we want or ask for recommendations. Another tip I always think is useful is: when in doubt, just order what the other tables are ordering. There was once I even asked an elderly couple for guidance and they helpfully told me the grilled fish there are great.

The Amazing Sanma

Izakaya Nijumaru (Bar & Eatery) sometimes sell seasonal stuff and the grilled Sanma (mackerel pike) above which is usually available in September (as told by their friendly waitress) was flown in earlier this year.

It was definitely the star of the show - the fish was sweet, tender and very fresh. Expertly grilled but take care to avoid the stomach portions! Anyway, we even ordered seconds! Everyone around us were ordering it.

Definitely worth $!

Rating: 4/5

* Bawang: Means ‘Onions’ in Malay

Posted in Japanese

Swee Choon Tim Sum @ Jalan Besar

mcjonzy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:33:47 +0000

It says a lot about a dim sum eatery when their best dish (to me) is a non-traditional one.

Everyone, PC, EC, CK, JL enjoyed the fried brinjal (or eggplant) sprinkled with pork-floss. The gals were not fans of brinjal but they liked this dish and the way it was fried. Cc loved this dish. The brinjal cubes practically explode in your mouth!

Special mention also goes to the “Fried Mee Sua carrot cake”.

Other than that most of the dim sum dishes were average.

Swee Choon Tim Sum
191 Jalan Besar opposite Berseh Food Centre
Daily: 5pm – 10am

Rating: 3.5/5

* Originally posted on July 22, 2008

Posted in Dim Sum, Jalan Besar, Singapore, Where Tagged: Dim Sum

PS Cafe @ Palais

mcjonzy — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:50:03 +0000

The Double Chocolate Blackout Cake

Went with the missus to PS Cafe @ Palais and I must say I was impressed with the decor. It reminded me of the pre-reno PS Cafe @ Paragon when there were windows to the outside world. @ Palais, they have their signature vintage furniture with high ceilings – they have a wonderful service to boot.

Enough about the decor – straight to the food. We went for the ginormous ‘Double Chocolate Blackout Cake’ with Vanilla Ice Cream on the side (S$14.90). It was so ginormous that I think I will not touch another cake for six months. I don’t think we were too excited about the cake - probably because of the heavy brunch we had – so I would say it’s an experience to have such choco-overload once in a while. The chocolate itself has two layers – the fudge and the sponge. The sponge was good enough on its own but once you eat it with the fudge as well as the chocolate dip it was a choco-explosion.

Definitely for choco-lovers. Me, I have to watch my waist …

FYI – this cake is so named because according to Baking Obession’s Vera – “it came from the blackout drills performed by the Civilian Defense Corps during World War II. When the navy sent their ships to sea from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the streets of the borough were “blacked out” to avoid silhouetting the battleships against the cityscapes of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The cake was so named because of its darkly chocolate-practically black-appearance.”

Ratings

: 3.5/5 (Ambience deserves a four out of five).

PS Cafe @ Palais
390 Orchard Road
#02-09A Palais Renaissance
T:(+65) 9834 8232

Operating Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11.30am – 11pm
Fri: 11.30am – 1am
Sat: 9.30am – 1am
Sun: 9.30pm – 11pm

Posted in Singapore, Western Tagged: Orchard, PS Cafe, Western