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Last Thursday was Valentine’s Day and we celebrated the occasion with a fabulous dinner at LENAS Restaurant. We have previously blogged about LENAS Restaurant and we have dined there quite a couple of times. Since our previous Blog entry about LENAS Restaurant was quite sometime ago, we really would like to once again share about our excellent dining experience at LENAS Restaurant and at the same time, share our review of The Wedding Diary 2 movie that we caught at Shaw Cinema.
Here’s what we ordered while we were dining at LENAS Restaurant:

Salmon Sashimi & Hoegaarden Beer

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Our Review of the Dish:
The Salmon Sashimi was quite pricey but it was well worth it because of its thickness and freshness. Surprisingly, it complemented the Hoegaarden Beer pretty well.

Chawanmushi

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Our Review of the Dish:
Chawanmushi is nothing new and it tasted rather ordinary, very much like steamed eggs. The only disappointment was that the Chawanmushi was served cold.

Cheesy Chicken Cutlet with Waffles Fries and Coleslaw

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Our Review of the Dish:
Just by looking at the picture alone, you could see that the portion is really huge! Not only that, the chicken cutlet was of the right texture and was also very flavourful. The waffle fries and coleslaw that went along with the chicken cutlet was extremely satisfying for the stomach and it definitely whets up one’s appetite.

Spicy Chicken with Corn and Salad

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Our Review of the Dish:
Well, this dish fell slightly below our expectations. The presentation of the dish was fantastic but when it comes to the taste, it was slightly disappointing because the spiciness of the chicken weren’t spicy enough. In fact, the taste of the supposedly spicy sauce was more of sweet, sour, and spicy; unlike the sambal spiciness that we expected.

Matcha Ice-Cream with Red Bean, Dumplings & Mochi and a Glass of Iced-Tea

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Our Review of the Dish:
The Matcha Ice-Cream with the Red Bean and Dumplings were a very good way to end the satisfying dinner on a high note. However, we felt that the Mochi was a tad too sticky for our liking because we had quite a hard time removing the stuck Mochi in our teeth.

Our Overall Dining Experience:
Well, we had quite a bit of mixed feelings when it comes to the food because there were some dishes that were above our expectations while there were some that didn’t. The service was as usual, tip-top, and we have always enjoyed dining at LENAS Restaurant. The price was rather reasonable and we will definitely recommend LENAS Restaurant if you’re looking for a good place to chill-out and have a great meal with a bunch of friends. We will definitely return to LENAS Restaurant to tryout some of their other dishes!
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Wedding Diary 2 [2013 Movie Review]

The Wedding Diary 2 was released exactly during Valentine’s Day and I treated Baby to the movie right after our fabulous dinner at LENAS Restaurant [just as you have read above].

Movie Plot [as extracted from Shaw’s Website]:
Soon after marriage, Weijie and Zhixin face pressure to conceive. When it finally happens, amidst preparations for the Full-month celebration of the new family member, Zhixin’s dad Colin’s business meets with investment failures and he suffers a stroke as a result. Zhixin has to step up to take over Colin’s business.

Between ensuring that her mum Alison does not have a mental breakdown and tending to her young family, Zhixin has to run the company and deal with insubordination from the veterans. It pains Weijie to see Zhixin under such stress and he quits his job to be a stay-home dad.

Over in Penang, Weijie’s dad Ah Sai heeds Colin’s advice and expands his humble salted-fish business. As his workload increases and he shuttles between Singapore and Penang, the harmonious family starts to disintegrate.

Meanwhile, Alison is taken aback by the sudden appearance of Reese, who claims to be Colin’s illegitimate daughter. Zhixin cannot come to terms with having a half-sister and even suspects Reese of seducing Weijie. At the same time, Weijie faces much pressure being a stay-home dad taking care of Tou Tou. There is talk that he is living off his wife and the couple ends up in a big quarrel.

Amidst all these problems, one day, both Reese and baby Tou Tou disappear! Has Reese anything to do with baby Tou Tou’s disappearance? Will the couple overcome their differences?

Our Review of the Movie:
Personally, we found the movie quite humourous but at the same time, we also felt that it lacked the element of surprise. The plot was rather predictable and we probably had quite high an expectation of the movie that we probably felt that it didn’t match up to The Wedding Diary 1. Nevertheless, the movie touched on a topic that is rather close to our hearts and it is worth catching if you have the spare cash and time.

Here’s a photo of Aniu and Elanne Kwong when we saw them doing their movie promotion at KSL City Square, Johor Bahru.

From Valentine’s Day 2013

Movie Trailer:

Stay tuned to more updates from us!

God bless!

Hello Everyone,
I have been wanting to try Cafe Cartel and have been putting off the idea for months until Baby and I decided to try out their desserts. The Cafe Cartel that we went to was the one located at Serangoon NeX. It opens for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner and they are open until 12am on weekends for desserts! So, anyway, we decided to go for desserts because they are offering a 50% discount on their cakes/desserts/coffee beverages from 9pm daily!

What We Ordered

Blackforest Cake $3.40

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Chocolate Cheese Cake $3.40

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Eastside Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Ice-Cream $5.25

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake $3.40

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Maple Caramel Latte $3.15

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The Dining Ambience

 

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Overall Dining Experience

By the way, we dined there twice for desserts and we had such a pleasant experience that we definitely would be visiting Cafe Cartel again. In fact, the price for desserts after 9PM is really worth it; given the quiet ambience and the quality of the desserts. If you’re planning for a gathering and you’re looking for a venue, you might just want to consider Cafe Cartel as they have huge space available to accommodate big groups of people. I shan’t really comment much on the quality of the desserts as I believe you should be able to tell it straight from the pictures.

The next time I visit Cafe Cartel, I will definitely want to try their hearty breakfast set!

Bon Appetit!

 

Hello Everyone,
today I’m going to do a review about Wanchai Hong Kitchen @ Serangoon NeX.

How We Ended Up At Wanchai Hong Kong Kitchen

Baby and I wanted to try some desserts at Serangoon NeX and there are tons of stores that sells desserts. After walking a few rounds, we decided to give Wanchai Hong Kong Kitchen a try.

What We Ordered

Gingko Nut & Barley

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The Gingko Nut and Barley is not very sweet and tastes like the Quaker Oats my mum makes at home. I can’t even feel the beancurd skin on my tongue because it has been blended to a liquid state. In my opinion, its very average and nothing really special. For $3.30, its so not worth it!

Milk Pudding & Fresh Mango Sauce

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According to Baby, the Milk Pudding and Fresh Mango Sauce isn’t very fantastic because the taste is very bland. In her opinion, the $3.50 is not worth paying for!

Peanut Butter Toast

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This costs us $3.20 and to be brutally honest, its way below my expectations. The toast wasn’t as thick as it claims to be and in fact, even the average coffeeshop can make better tasting toasts than this. I have had better tasting toasts at other Hong Kong Cafes. This dish is simply just CRAP!

Overall Experience

The Whole Unpleasant Experience That Costs Us $10.70

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I don’t exactly know how their other dishes like appetisers and main courses taste like as we didn’t order them. But if the simple desserts we had are not even up to our expectations, I highly doubt their other dishes will be any different. All in all, we don’t recommend dining here for desserts as the price and quality are not correlated; You will be better off going for desserts elsewhere.

YUCKS!

 

 

Hello Everyone,
today, I am going to put up a food review on LENAS Restaurant @ Serangoon NeX Shopping Mall.

Why We Decided to Dine at LENAS?

Alright, Baby and I made a decision that the both of us will try every food outlet there is at NeX and so, we decided to try LENAS out this time again (yes, it’s our second time dining here).

What’s So Special About LENAS?

The dining ambience of the restaurant is totally cosy and warm. There are also seats by the window of which you can get a good look of Serangoon (not that Serangoon has anything to view either). And because it is a brand concept under Ministry of Food (M.O.F), you can also use the Citizen Membership Card here for dining discounts and rebates too. The service level is good but it hasn’t really exceeded my expectations yet because it takes a while for service staffs to respond (even when you wave your hands frantically). The variety of food, beverage, and desserts choices simply blown us away as there were many (and yes I mean extremely many) items you could choose from. The cuisine served is mainly Western.

Is it Expensive to Dine There?

The cost of dining at LENAS is rather reasonable. Our bill for the first visit was around $30 and our bill for the second visit was around $50+.

What Are the Privileges of Being A Citizen Member?

Ok, you MUST sign up for the Citizen Membership Card! The perks are really good, way better than what ThaiExpress or New York New York could offer.

  • 10% off total bill.
  • 20% off on selected meal of the day and dessert.
  • Free Tea or Coffee every time you visit the outlet.
  • Additional 2% Citizen Rebate Dollars for your next visit.
  • Complimentary dessert during your Birthday Month in one of your visits.
  • Discounts at overseas branches.
  • Waiver of Citizenship renewal fee with minimum spending of S$600 within 2 years.

And ALL THIS ONLY FOR $10 For A 2 Years Membership!

Alright, So What Did We Ordered During Our Visits?

LENAS!

Psst. Pictures on my blog are all taken by Baby. So if you want to hire her for photography, do contact me! =P

There are a variety of food, drinks, and desserts choices that you can choose from at LENAS. It will probably take you a couple of visits to try all of them!

Spaghetti Served with Grilled Chicken and Coleslaw (Kids Meal)

Spaghetti served with Grilled Chicken and Colesaw

Although this dish was meant to be a kids meal, the portion is still pretty huge and Baby couldn’t finish them. And so, I helped to finish it. The chicken was crispy and the spaghetti was cooked al-dente. The tomato sauce used was good but it could be better if they added some minced meat like chicken, beef, or pork.

Spicy Grilled Chicken Served with Colesaw and Corn

Spicy Grilled Chicken Served with Colesaw and Corn

When they said spicy. It really meant SPICY. The chicken was grilled nicely but what probably disappointed me was that the chicken was served warm and not piping hot. The coleslaw was huge and the corn wasn’t that sweet tasting as the one Aston had.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Served in Sour Bread Bowl

Cream of Mushroom Soup in Sour Bread Bowl

This is one dish you ought to order if you love creamy mushroom soup. The soup tasted really fresh and the Sour Bread complements the soup pretty well. It’s a pity the portion of soup served is pretty small for the price of $8.90!

White Wine Seafood Deluxe Spaghetti

White Wine Seafood Deluxe Spaghetti

I have tried something similar at Pastamania but I find that the White Wine Seafood Deluxe Spaghetti served at LENAS is way better. The spaghetti is cooked al-dente and the seafood were pretty fresh. The “soupy” sauce goes well with the seafood as white wine is added. The aroma blended pretty well with the dish. It’s a pity the portion is too small for me.

Grilled Chicken serve with Cheesy Baked Rice

Grilled Chicken serve with Cheesy Baked Rice

After choosing for quite some time, Baby decided to have the Grilled Chicken served with Cheesy Baked Rice. The grilled chicken was firm in texture and it tasted really good. As I’m not a fan of cheese, I can’t really comment much but Baby said that the cheese was nicely cooked as it had the “springy” effect when she scoops up the rice. I must admit though, it looks pretty appetising.

Craneberry Juice with Mixed Berries and Strawberry Ice-Cream

Craneberry Juice with Mixed Berries and Strawberry Ice-Cream

The cool thing about LENAS is that they always have promotions every other day. As we visited LENAS on a Wednesday Night, they had a Ladies Night Promotion where Ladies are entitled to a free milk-tea drink or free fruit-juice drink. And so, Baby decided to have this. Although the strawberry ice-cream and mixed berries were very tantalising, the cranberry juice tasted extremely sour. So, I guess we won’t be ordering any cranberry drinks from LENAS the next time we visit.

Fried Bananas Served with Chocolate Ice-Cream

Fried Bananas with Chocolate Ice-Cream

There were many desserts to choose from and alas, I decided to settle for this. I liked the fried-bananas as they were deep-fried in light batter until golden brown, and when I took a bite of it with the chocolate sauce that was drizzled over, it tasted very heavenly. The chocolate ice-cream complements the fried-bananas pretty well because while the fried-bananas were hot, the chocolate ice-cream was cold (just how warm brownies are served with ice-creams)!

Overall Experience?

Well, it is worth a visit to LENAS and we will definitely be going back there to try their high-tea desserts buffet!

Bon Appetite!