Dancing Crab at The Grandstand (Turf City)

Dancing Crab - Louisiana Seafood Restaurant, Singapore

200 Turf Club Road, The Grandstand #01-20/21, Singapore 287994

Tel: 64663303

Interesting boil in bag American Southern canjun and creole seafood. I have never had this style food before so I was really keen to try it. I've only seen this concept while watching Man Vs. Food in the UK! It's $80 for the seafood combo we had (see photos below). The bag was packed with a Sri Lankan crab (weight probably around 900g), some big prawns (300g worth according to the menu), mussels, some root veg and sausages. It tasted absolutely fab with the medium spicy sauce. No cutlery was provided as the food was "finger licking good"! The seafood did require hand picking and shelling and it did add to the experience. I did have to ask for a spoon though as I risk burning my fingers when the hot food was just delivered. If you are sharing, a spoon will also be required to avoid dipping your (possibly dirty) fingers into the sauce looking for tasty seafood morsels. The food was very good, and we finished everything! I also highly recommend the corn bread to soak up the chilli goodness in the bag.

The food was 8 out of 10, but the service was not very good (5 out of 10)  despite the restaurant not being very crowded. The food was dumped on the table and the waiter just walked off. I understood the concept so it wasn't a problem, but the elderly couple next to us were really confused on what to do after the food got delivered. I asked for a fork later to dig out some of the crab from its shell and the waiter gave me a disdainful look and said "you should use your fingers in this restaurant" Thanks. But I've got no interest in cutting myself on a shell.

Despite the service, Overall, I would go again! I suspect that there would be more competition from restaurants in this format in the future but at the moment, this is probably one of the best for canjun seafood cooking in Singapore.

The Menu

The cook in bag goodness!

Yum! We finished everything!

La Petite Cuisine at The Serene Centre, Singapore

What can I say? Small portions, average quality and poor service. The only thing French about this place is the poor service. 

I ordered the potato and leek soup ($3.50) which was tasteless and under seasoned. For my main course, I ordered a medium sirloin steak ($15) which came overcooked in a strange pepper sauce. The potato gratin that came with it was not caramelised and hence lacked any flavour.  I've had much better French food in a hawker centre for half the price. 

The person that took my order was sullen, rude and appeared disinterested. I will not be coming here again.

Basilico - The Italian Restaurant at The Regent Hotel, Singapore

Basilico

I 

I came here on the recommendations from some friends. The lunch time buffet was $58++. It is excellent value for what you get. I particularly love the smoked buffalo mozzarella cheese and the variety of olives. The range of Italian hams were limited to just 2 types. There is a mixture of both northern and southern Italian cuisine and from my experience, it was all very authentic. I would recommend a trip to Basilico for a fantastic Italian experience! Service is also excellent and the waiters very attentive in clearing the plates and topping up the drinks. 

Review written on the iPhone. 

Queenstown Claypot Laksa, Singapore.

Claypot Laksa in Queenstown Hawker Centre, Singapore.

This is the $4.50 medium bowl. I've had much better laksa for $3-4 and of a much larger portion. Verdict? Not worth the $4.50 and not very good.

Restaurant Fraiche

 http://www.restaurantfraiche.com
11 Rose Mount, Oxton, Wirral, CH43 5SG | 0151 652 2914

what can I say? One of the best restaurants on the Wirral and certainly deserving its michelin star!

I have had the tasting menu twice, and decided to try the sunday lunch menu instead.

The 4 course sunday lunch menu was £35. Unfortunately, I did not make a copy of the menu, so the photos do not have a full list of main ingredients. Service was impeccable, with our drinks constantly topped up and plates cleared the moment the last diner on our table finishes his plate.

 Tomato consommé 

 a lovely variety of warm bread

roasted butternut squash and a medley of mushrooms and truffles

My favourite dish of the day - seabass with mussels 

 black faced lamb with pork popcorn!

The restaurant is frequently fully booked for months ahead, so go to the website and make a reservation now! You will not regret the experience.  Saying that, after this visit, I have only one regret... that I did not order the 8 course tasting menu instead.

Glenfinnan House Hotel Restaurant, Isle of Skye

Glenfinnan House Hotel Restaurant, isle of Skye, Scotland

Chaaya Lagoon, Hakuraa Huraa, Maldives

Chaaya Lagoon Hakuraa Huraa, Maldives

Went to the Maldives in 2011. Just realised that I did not post the review of the place. its been saved in my draft folder all this time!

Food

Very average. The local Indian / Maldivian fare was very tasty but their attempts at western style food was poor. The roast was burnt and dry daily, pasta soggy, and salad dry. The Resturant and waiter staff were however lovely and very friendly. If you like tuna, you will love it! There is only 1 restaurant on the island.

Service

The front desk staff were superficially friendly, but were terribly unhelpful when there were any problems.

I emailed them ahead as it was our honeymoon (you apparently received a fruit basket and a bottle of wine), got a confirmation from them, and when we arrived, they forgot about it!

Location

the location and the reefs of the resort is lovely but most of the resorts in the Maldives are quite similar. The beach is absolutely gorgeous and the water clear and warm!

Facilities

It has the basic diving school and excursions to the local islands. The snorkelling equipment is free but time limited and everything has to be paid for.  The warer sport centre is also not available all the time. There is a spa on site, but it was so expensive that it is actually cheaper for me to get the same massage in London at a cheaper price.

There is no swimming pool or any other indoor facilities except a table tennis table, so if it rains, there is very little to do except wait for the rain to stop.

The water bungalows were lovely, with a nice hot shower, aircon, tea coffee making facilities and a lovely private area of coral beach to yourself.

There is also a lounge by the beach, which has a nice sitting area and nightly entertainment.

 The beach

 Our water bungalow 

Our bedroom

Communications

The wireless Internet was not free and was charged at £1 per hour. Do not expect to do anything with it except check your email and go to a few websites as it was extremely slow at all times of the day. The time based charging is also highly flexible and variable. There is GSM mobile phone reception throughout the island.

Conclusion

Overall, the place is overpriced, with average facilities and average customer service. I would consider returning here again if the prices were lower, otherwise, I think there are better value places in the Maldives.