FIRST TASTED: Nylon Coffee @ Everton Park

Due to some errands to be accomplished in school (yes, I am going back to school and live back the thrifty school boy life), I cut my self some slack and took a day off from work. At last, I have a chance to visit this coffee shop which only operates during standard working hour (8++am till 5++pm).

Ambient:

Nylon coffee is located in one of the lots of Everton Park. It’s about 1km away from Outram Park MRT station. There are a few coffee shops, pastries shops and shops that sell some street food around that area. Nylon is not as easily found as any other shops, as it’s located in the middle of the Everton Park. We could almost call it a “Hidden gem” and it’s a tiny little ones. Inside the shop have only one long table and a couple of small sitting areas. Most of the people were standing around the long table to enjoy the coffee. Albeit it’s a little cramp, it’s a very comfortable place to be, especially when this small little confined area is filled with coffee smell. It’s addictively excellent!

One thing to point out is that they even roast their coffee bean in such a small confined area.

Food:

In fact, they don’t sell any. They only sell coffee.

This was the 5oz that I ordered. I’d say this is the Best Coffee I have ever tasted. The foam was being made at its absolute best, as smooth as it could be. I would like to try out an extra shot of espresso in my coffee on my next visit.

Service:

It’s pretty much self-service.

Verdict:

This is one of those shops that I admire. They focus on doing what they do & know best, without any other hassles messing around.

I will definitely revisit to this coffee shop. Coffee Lovers, this is a must to visit in Singapore.

 

REVISITED: Gianni’s Trattoria @ Taman Pelangi

A week after my friend’s visit, my family and I came to this rather delicate Italian restaurant. This was my second visit. My previous visit was rather brief. Due to the limited companion I had (only one) during the last visit, I only managed to try out a couple of their dishes. This time round, I brought more people to try out more!

Food:

There were 5 of us. The plan was to use a pair of 4-course meal Groupon with some add-ons. The groupon that I bought comprised of 2 starters/ appetizers, a main course and a desert. We added on 2 pastas and a pizza.

Dessert was my preference to be served first. It’s called Chocolate Lovers. As what it’s being called, it’s a dessert that was full of chocolate- a slice of chocolate mousse paired with chocolate mud. I was deeply allured by this dessert. The chocolate taste of these desserts was so addictive. I could never have enough of them.

Next to be served was one of the starters. It’s the Sashimi-grade Japanese scallops marinated in calamansi and lime juice. Basically, all the ingredients were being chopped into cubic form, marinated in lime juice. It’s a simple appetizer that whetted our appetites.

Instead of having served another starter, the Salmon Pizza was served. Maybe we were too hungry, the pizza was gone in minutes. This pizza was the skinny type rather than those filling type (like that of Pizzahut). It just melted in my mouth. I like it. I like pizza a lot, if I am honest. I have no complaint to this one.

Next up was the Potato wrapped salmon filet on a coulis of red and yellow bell peppers, one of the main chosen for the groupon that I bought. The portion was not big, just enough for one person, if I am honest. But the salmon was properly baked. The meat was just about right. It doesn’t have the odd smell/ taste that we found in normal fried / baked salmon. That simply means that the chef does have some skills to handle it. I have to admit the crispy salmon skin attached to the meat was excellent! The sauce and salad that came with it was refreshing. This dish is in great balance.

The next main chosen for the groupon was the Roasted rack of lamb with mushrooms, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes. Similar to the salmon fillet, the portion was not generous. But then again, the lamb rack was roasted as well as it should be, pretty excellent. From the photo, it may seem to be a bit charred (sorry for my low lighting shooting skill). In fact, it’s not like what you see here, it’s slightly charred on the outside, which is good; on the inside, it was still red, exactly how it should be like at its absolute best. Don’t get me wrong, it’s only red, not bloody (forgot to shoot a photo on the inside though). It’s simply sweet and juicy. Great job! Same story to the sides, the salad and cherry tomato were to reduce the sinfulness of us.

The long waited started had finally come, it’s the Sea prawn in lime juice and cilantro. It’s yet another simply appetizer or we could call it a green salad with a few prawns stirred with in lime juice. It’s interesting, but not mind-boggling to me, especially when the prawn tasted a bit charred.

Lastly, it’s the pastas that we ordered. They were the Turkey Ham Carbonara and Chicken Aglio Olio. The Turkey Ham Carbonara was extremely creamy. First bite was great, after a few bites, it was too greasy for me to continue. I believe that I couldn’t finish the whole plate myself. The Chicken Aglio Olio, however, looks like the chicken is the main character instead of the pasta. Reason being, the chicken is add on, which means we need to pay extra for the chicken. According to the waiter, the Aglio Olio is supposed to be served empty, just the garlic stirred pasta without anything else. Taste wise, it was not too shabby, not mind-blowing either. I could cook it myself with the taste that’s close to this one.

Ambient/ Environment:

Not a single thing has been changed since my last visit. It’s a quiet and lazy place to have dinner. It’s neither a particularly comfy, nor unease place to be to us.

Services:

Not friendly, even when there’s only us to serve. I wonder how they could manage when it’s full house.

Verdict:

Gianni’s does serve good foods at a rather steep price to pay. There are still rooms for improvement for food and many other aspects. I would come back if I am in the mood, which is not going to happen in the near future though.

REVISITED: 蔡记 Chua Kee @ Gelang Patah

2 weeks back, a friend of mine from Puchong came visiting me in Kulai. As most of us know, there’s nothing much in Johor, let alone a small town like Kulai. Since there’s nothing he’s fancy of doing, I brought him to do what I love to do- C@li M@k@n.

To narrow down the scope, I requested him to select the type of cuisines that he prefers. He chose seafood for dinner. That’s easy, as there isn’t much good seafood left in southern part of Johor. I then decided to bring him to the one that I have only been to once- Chua Kee in Gelang Patah. My previous visit to this place was pleasant. This time round, I decided to do a full on review of this famous seafood restaurant.

Food:

There were 6 of us. We ordered the famous black pepper crabs, roasted honey chicken wings, deep fried calamari with salted eggs, curry fish head and choi dam.

The curry fish head was huge; it looked more like a curry vegetable to me though. The portion was generous, especially on the vegetable given; not so, on the fish bit. Taste wise, the curry gravy taste was strong and rather spicy. Hence, it’s not for children. It reminded me of the taste of Botak curry mee in Kluang very much though. The price was a bit steep for this pot of curry fish head, considering the amount of fish in it.

Next, the choi dam was served. It’s just a plate of vegetable to balance the entire meal, letting us feeling less sinful while eating them.

Almost immediately, one of the signature dishes was served- the roasted honey chicken wings. The wings were nicely roasted with a little char on the skin. The honey sauce has just lightened up this dish further. It’s not mind-bogglingly good, but at the price they charge on the wings, I’d say it’s really good value for money.

Deep fried calamari with salted eggs was the next one to be served. It’s the dry type without the thick and creamy salted eggs sauce. It’s not excellent, but good enough if one craves for one. Also, this is yet another good value for money dish that we ordered.

Lastly, the extremely famous black pepper crabs. I believe this is what attracts most of the eaters paying a visit to this restaurant. After eating it, I think I could understand why. The crabs were nicely chosen; they are not too big, not too old, and not too small either. Good raw material is simply not enough to produce a good dish; a skillful chef who can control the level of attainment is very important too. It’s vital to use minimal time to infuse the taste of the black pepper sauce into the crab meat, so that the crab meat is tender and flavorful at the same time. I have to admit that the black pepper sauce was a big thumb up! It’s full of pepper taste, but the spiciness was not over-killed, which is very good, as we could still savor the original taste of the seafood.

Ambient & service:

It’s not one of those fancy and specious kinds of restaurants. On the contrary, it’s a simple, more practical and down-to-earth ones located in a kampung. I actually enjoy very much. It’s crowded and noisy on the Saturday evening that we went. Bring some luck here, you could get a seat without waiting for long.

Verdict:

This is unquestionably, one of the best seafood restaurants around in southern part of Johor. I will definitely come by for seafood whenever I crave for it.

Right after this satisfying meal, my friend and I went to Brew Orchestra for a cup of coffee and dessert. As usual, the coffee quality is still having some inconsistencies; the flat white that I ordered was not as good as the one I had during my previous visit. The new cakes surprised me a little though.