Posts
Rosemary Lamb Chops - er I didn't taste any Rosemary..?
Today's lunch outing had me travel all the way to Woodgrave Woodgrove for Botak Jones! Yes yes. the place is rather silent with the main hustle and bustle being in the Fairprice Outlet there, but to go all the way to some outskirts in Woodlands (I exaggerated a teeny weeny bit), its plain ridiculous!
The Botak Jones outlet at Woodgrove is rather new having been established only a couple of months back. Placed prominently in the residential Kopitiam, I could hardly miss the banners hailing the presence of Botak Jones (O Mighty One!)
Rosemary Lamb Chops was up on the menu for me today, and I must say that I am not very impressed by it. For $12.00, 200grams worth of Lamb Chops and 2 side dishes, it was not entirely a value for money dish.
It is true that you get premium meat, but sincerely while I admit it is juicier, there is a stark difference in taste for my regular Lamb Chops at the coffeeshop, which do taste better at a more value for money price.
A delicate portion which is average and pricey
Still, while I may not appreciate the quality of meat entirely, the dish does have its good points. It was juicy, tender and topped with a generous serving of white mushroom sauce.
The two side dishes (I chose Potato Salad and Mexican Rice) were average in texture and quality, with nothing spectacular. But if you are a fan for potatoes and egg all mixed in one, you might enjoy the eggy potato side dish =) I reckoned a sprinkle of salt could have been drizzled over the Mexican Rice for more flavour.
I presumed that while they called it "Rosemary Lamb Chops" I would find more obvious portions of Rosemary cooked with the Lamb, but somehow the fragrance of the herb disappeared. Nonetheless, there was this little drop ( about 2 spoonfulls ) of green sauce at the side of the lamb chops which I eventually guessed it to be the Rosemary sauce. A tad too sour for my liking which for me did not complement the flavour and tenderness of the meat.
In Overall, the Rosemary Lamb Chops at Botak Jones Woodgrove Outlet, while not entirely a huge disappointment, still ranks some points in the quality and presentation department. If you are a hardcore fan for Lamb, you might just want to go Baaaa....
Price : $12.00 (200g serving) with 2 side dishes of your own choice.
Rating for Rosemary Lamb Chops : 2/5
Botak Jones Woodgrove Outlet (located at the Kopitiam, opposite St. Anthony's Church). Get there with Bus 912 from Woodlands Interchange
Can't get enough of the Botak Burger...topped with Shitake Mushrooms!
Ah hahaha ... I couldn't get enough of the Botak Burger! I had to order it again with Shitake Mushrooms topping! Yum Yum. Now this you must try! Tender and juicy, with fragrant mushrooms to top - ahhh heaven =)
I have a confession - My new found love - THE CHEMPEDAK! I'M going NUTS over it. Juicy, sweet, so much like the jackfruit and the durian - almost like a crossbreed. Burp...going to buy more ... hehe ...
A slight randomness of my own ;)
Till then.
I must be mad about Chempedak.
 |  |
| Chee Cheong Fun | Seafood in White Sauce Baked Cheese Rice |
Venue : Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Basement 2 (next to the food court)
Date Reviewed : 31st May 2008
Rating : 2/5
Dinner today was a hectic affair. We went from restaurant to restaurant finding a place to eat in Takashimaya Shopping Centre, finding all the places either too crowded or too expensive today for our palate. Stumbling unto Central was a coincidence and since we were too hungry to travel any further, we decided to give this establishment a go.
I ordered the Seafood in White Sauce Baked Cheese Rice as you can see from the picture above ( sorry for the image quality, I have only just purchased a proper camera today, so the images may not do the food proper justice ), and mum ordered their Beef Braised in Claypot. My meal was not too bad where the rice was of a grainy texture and generous amounts of cheese was served. I would have preferred more seafood though and the dish itself to be slightly more tantalising.
The Beef Braised in Claypot was perhaps the dish that saved the restaurant ratings. It was quite good with the meat nice and tender and the gravy not too salty. It went well with white plain rice.
The presentation of all the dishes were excellent.
However, even though there were some fine dishes, I must say that there are too many varieties on the menu such that perhaps the chefs are not able to specialise in a selected few. The Chee Cheong Fun was not that good with the sauce being slightly too thick and the rice noodles itself slightly chewy. There was also the mixed grill promotional set where I believe my other review of the mix grill set at Vincent's Western Food was better. This mixed grill I must say was rather hopeless and unappetizing.
Regarding the ambience of the place, I found it too cramped with too many customers and not enough servers. Perhaps it would be better to remove a table or two, lower the profits a little, and give the customers more room in the restaurant instead of packing them in. By doing so, I believe that customers will leave satisfied for the place's ambience.
Overall, it is an 'okay' place with nothing that fantastic, maybe you have to be really hungry to love the food, but then again try their Beef Braised in Claypot, it might just save the day.
Venue : Pancake King @ Seafood Junction (Near Courts Megastore)
Date Reviewed : 25th May 2008
Rating : 2/5
Pancake King rose to new heights in 2000 when Channel U's famed program 'City Beat' ventured into the heartlands finding great food and great prices. However, nearly 8 years has passed and hard to expect, the number of customers dwindled as well. Both times in which I passed the shop, there was hardly anybody purchasing anything. Well, I thought that perhaps it could be that it was not peak hour as yet, so I decided to go ahead and purchase a slice of seafood pizza and a ham quiche.
The seafood pizza was above average with a generous serving of toppings, however, it was a tad cold and should have been warmed first before selling it either in take away or even on the spot. Nonetheless, I was not very accepting of the ham quiche which I thought was not really the baker's best standard. The crust was too salty, the filling too bland. Not a very good combination there. Well the quiche itself looks appealing, I think beauty is only skin deep. I have yet to try the pancake there but from what I have eaten so far, I would not really go back there for some time unless more is done to change the shop in a new direction for a new generation of customers.
