Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Beanstro and Tsukada Nojo 美人鍋

I took half day leave on Thursday to visit the Tulipmania exhibition at Gardens by the Bay. Hubby and I had a quick lunch at Beanstro by CBTL at MBS before heading to the exhibition.



This place has both outdoor and indoor seating. We decided to ask for a comfy indoor seat at the cozy corner.



Typical table settings and food menu. They offer All day breakfast and various western main courses for Lunch and Dinner.




My Seafood wrapped in Cartoccio $26++, Fettuccine baked in parchment paper with half lobster, scallops and mussels in spicy tomato sauce.



The spicy tomato sauce isn't very spicy but very yummy. Fettuccine was mostly al dente but not evenly cooked though. Lobster was very meaty albeit slightly overcooked, scallops were plump and juicy and the  mussels were fine as well. This dish was overall a nice dish but the execution could have been better.

Hubby's Battered Pacific Dory $21++, served with skinny fries, mesclun and dill honey mustard. Serving portion was ample but the 'skinny fries' were just regular fries. The fish was fresh, so were the other ingredients. Taste wise was pretty ordinary.


We both ordered coffee to go with the meal. My Double Chocolate Frappuccino $7.70++ with whipped cream was very chocolaty and a tad sweet. Hubby's Cafe Mocha $6.50++ was nothing to shout about too.



Service here was ok, the staffs were not all smiley but they did their job fine. Food was passable but prices didn't match its quality though. I wouldn't recommend this place to fussy eaters.


The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Beanstro
#B2-20/20A, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Ave S018972
Tel: 66887001

Opening Hours
Sun - Thu: 08:00 - 23:00
Fri - Sat: 08:00 - 02:00



We're back at Tsukada Nojo again for more collagen fix! This time round, we had a table reservation (5mins holding time only) and were seated pretty quickly once everyone has arrived.



This was my second visit to the Chinatown outlet. We absolutely loved the intensely flavorful chicken broth on our first visit just weeks ago, so we're back again for more. On our second visit, we got 'promoted' to Manager from Assistant Manager. To commemorate the occasion, we each can pick a free french fries or edamame on the house!





Other than the complimentary fries, we also ordered another 4 appetizers to share. First up, Homemade Tamagoyaki $4.50++. Sweetened Japanese omelette that was nicely presented as double hearts, we're pleasantly surprised!


The Tamago was wonderfully done, soft in texture with light eggy flavor and sweetness was just right...very delish.

The Miyazaki specialty, Chicken Nanban $8.50++, choice of two flavors (original or spicy hot). We've tried the original one and loved it, so this time we had the spicy one with Habanero peppers added in the tartar sauce (this item is only available in SG).


The Habanero peppers are not for the faint-hearted, it was extremely spicy! The spiciness was too overpowering, robbing away the natural flavor of the chicken meat. We all agreed that the original tartar sauce was much tastier.

Steamed Chicken with Ginger sauce $7.50++, the seasoned minced ginger is a perfect match with the steamed chicken meat, a healthy and refreshing cold dish.


Tsukada Nojo's signature Nikumaki Onigiri $3.80++ a piece (choice of 4 flavors). Bacon wrapped rice with 4 types of toppings. 3 of us chose the Yuzu pepper & Mayo flavor, one picked the Melted Cheese flavor.



This is utterly yummy, if you can only eat one appetizer, you must order this!

The much anticipated Collagen hotpot arrives after a short wait. The standard set meal is $25++ per pax. Watch the pudding melts into a thick broth within mins.




The waitress who served us this time was not meticulous like the previous one, she just simply dumped all the ingredients into the pot after putting in the chicken balls. She didn't follow the recommended steps on the menu and didn't bother to explain the benefits of each ingredient. Imagine our disappointment!

Pictures from our previous visit...steps to cook the ingredients, and a properly prepared Bijin Nabe hotpot.



Anyways, the chicken soup is still yummy despite its messy looks. Noodles was served last, we chose the Mochi Mochi thick noodles this time and loved its springy texture!


As always, a seaweed paste was introduced during our soup top up (price includes one top up only). This is to change the flavor of the soup, which we didn't. The original soup is tasty enough.


Last but not least, the complimentary dessert, Lemon and Ice lemon tea jello. Served on a beautifully decorated plate. Check out the various creations by the restaurant staffs!





We were stuffed at the end of the dinner. This meal cost about $40 per pax, great value for money for the amount of stuffs that we ordered. There is a high possibility that we'll be back again for more collagen fix!


Tsukada Nojo 塚田農場
Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road #02-37, S059413
Tel: 64448840

Opens Daily
Lunch: 11:30 - 15:00
Dinner: 17:00 - 22:00






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