Aloha Ma Maison!

We are fans of Ma Maison. We love the homely, Hayao Miyazaki-inspired ambience, along with the fusion Japanese/Western food. Unfortunately, we don't go as often as we might like for two reasons. 1) the higher prices don't encourage recurring patronage, 2) the constant queues don't encourage walk-ins.

Fortunately, the Ma Maison group have spawned an offshoot called Aloha Ma Maison. They've adopted a Hawaiian theme and have a menu that is different, yet somewhat similar to the original. Enter the Loco Moco..

Loco moco is a traditional meal in Hawaiian cuisine. There are many variations, but the essential loco moco consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. - from Wiki.

Ok, we won't find Loco Moco at Ma Maison, but the hamburger patty that comes with this dish is a very similar one to what you will get at Ma Maison (ie. the hamburg steak)! And the good news is, it's cheaper! Furthermore, you can opt for either white rice or multi-grain rice at no extra charge, and a further choice of having a larger serving for a slightly higher price.

Take for example the Ma Maison Loco Moco in the picture above. This was the larger portion. Two sunny side ups cover a hamburg steak, stewed apples, macaroni pasta salad in a demi glace sauce with 2 servings of multi-grain rice. And of course, the mayonnaise! Can't recall the price at this moment, but for sub-$20, your Hamburg Steak at Ma Maison won't come with as many sides nor will it be as satisfying, I can assure you.

Ahipoke 

The salad Ahipoke dish has diced vegetables, and would have been perfect except it had some spice in it. We think it's Tabasco sauce, but we can't be certain. All I know is that it was a tad strong for a salad. When our mains came, having the rice with this dish made it more bearable.

Mky: Ahipoke flavours were not well balanced, the dressing overpowered the fresh flavour of the ingredients. The spicy element, which had a strange numbing effect on the tongue, did not add to enjoyability of the dish.

 

Tuna and Avocado Loco Moco 

A heavenly mix of fresh raw tuna and slices of avocado with a heavy dose of mayonnaise.Can't go wrong here. Mky says you can either eat it as presented, or give it a good toss (ala Pepper Lunch) and mix everything up. I chose the latter and enjoyed this dish perfectly.

Very interesting decor making use of the overhead space

Overall, we loved the rice dishes and the two variations we tried. As I understand it, they are also known for their pancakes, something Mky really loves. Unfortunately we were so stuffed by dinner that we couldn't make room for those delicacies. We'll definitely be back to try that next time.

Aloha Ma Maison

201 Victoria Street,
#01-12 Bugis+

+65 6884 4471

Home-made: Mky's Big Breakfast

What was initially supposed to be something that I was to cook for Mky, became something that she put together in the end! And using the much-talked-about Happy Call pan entirely too!

Hash brown with cheesy knackers and scrambled eggs with truffle oil. Topped off with a half slice of grapefruit, baby tomatoes, some cucumber slices and a drink, this could be the breakfast of champions =)

Thanks for the big breakfast dear!

$4 of Beef with Noodles

OMG, I will never eat another bowl of beef ball noodles dry ever!! Why eat mixed miscellaneous beef with flour when you can get pure unadulterated beef pieces in such excessive quantity within this $4 bowl of Beef Noodles Dry? We're not talking about overcooked pieces of cardboard here either, this meat is tender! Even the sauce tastes beefy, and the soup, with all those miscellaneous beef bits floating in it - heaven!

Initially I was looking at the order list and felt like having my usual of dry beef ball noodles dry, but it wasn't listed on the board. I know I could have just asked for it, but I decided to try their 招牌 dish anyway. What a lucky decision that was, cos I'm a convert, this is da bomb!

Sorry Heng Hwa, sorry Hock Lam (have yet to try!), but this takes the cake. If you like beef, this will rock your socks off!

This jaw-dropping reaction applies to only the Chinatown Food Complex branch. We've tried the franchise at People's Park Complex and, sad to say, it doesn't come close despite sharing the name. And if the original is still at Joo Chiat, I've not been there to comment on it.

Joo Chiat Beef King
335 Smith Street
Chinatown Food Centre
#02-107

Home-made: Japanese Pasta Salad

Home-made Japanese Pasta Salad. Ikea pasta with frozen vegetables, apples, peaches and shredded chicken thigh. Sauce is made up of mayo, mustard, condensed milk, apple juice, salt, black pepper, garlic, a small amount of tumeric for colour, and oregano. This isn't one of Mky's healthy dishes cos of the mayo and condensed milk, but it sure is tasty!

Served cold, it's the perfect cool dish for the hot summer, or warm tropical climes.

Breakfast that might just last all day

HUGE all-day breakfast - The Full Works

Set in a below-ground-level setting, under the main entrance of the Singapore Botanical Gardens, the unique setting was convenient, opening up from the underground parking. There is an industrial canteen feel to the decor cos of the spaciousness of the setting. Yet, along with the natural light, the orange and concrete feature wall nicely frames the kitchen on the far side of the entrance, lending an artistic visual that is complemented by foliage peaking out from the middle of the large group tables.

Once you've picked your seating, just 'chope' your table, grab a menu and queue up to place your order at the counter (waiting time of 15 mins that day). You can expect your food after a quick 5 mins wait.

The Full Works ($18, pictured above), from their new All-Day Breakfast menu, is the largest portion of breakfast we've ever seen! It very well could just last all day.. Mky took about 1 hour to finish it, even after apportioning a 1/3 of it to me. She noted that the breakfast menu structure has since changed from a review we came across dated just 2 weeks earlier. Previously, you could pick any 3 of their offerings for $8. Now you get to add additional stuff to a basic set, with the garlic mushrooms and chicken sausage being the premium items in the full works set. That aside, this is perfect for sharing.

Beef burger with fries, observe the sad patty, almost hidden by the toppings.

My burger order came with fries even though I didn't pay the extra cash for it. Initially I thought 'what a wonderfully nice touch it was', adding some fries to a woefully lonely-looking burger. Just as I was done taking a photo of it, a serving staff came with another burger (without fries), and took our previous plate away (sans one missing fry that Mky managed to steal!). I was a sad panda.. Incidentally, the burger with fries was then re-served to another customer, unaltered!

I wouldn't recommend their Beef Burger. The too-small patty was good and meaty but cos it was over-done, it just didn't satisfy. The bun was also a tad dry. Ample veggie slathered with sauce made the dish overall tasty enough yes, but for $8, there are better burgers out there, or other choices you can have from Food For Thought's menu.

Lonely Beef burger without fries

Vegetable Ratatouille, looks like curry right?

I loved the vegetable ratatouille though. Filled with thick slices of zucchini, carrots and onions, it made for a heavy side dish with its thick stew. It looked and tasted oily though, despite its vegetarian standing. One only hopes that it was olive oil and not vegetable oil we were eating happily.

Group tables with inset plants

Cool concrete decor

There is outdoor seating, and we did see some patrons with dogs on leash. We will be back again for the all-day breakfast for sure, and next time, it might be with pet in tow ;)

*Update*
Mky finally ate the two pastries (Banana Cake & Cinnamon Roll) that she bought from there. And the verdict is... 2 Thumbs Down! The pastries at FFT really suck. That's some strong negative views coming from her. Woops.


Food For Thought
1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens,
Tanglin Gate, #B1-00, S259569
Tel: +65 6338 4848

Jewel Coffee - a real gem in the CBD

 

If you've taken a stroll along Shenton Way, you'd probably already have seen this striking cafe opposite the SGX Building. "Jewel Coffee" in bold red words is framed by naked light bulbs that are reminiscent of a Hollywood starlet's dressing mirror. Seats are mostly outdoor al fresco with a few bar stools within the confines of the air-conditioned serving area.

We ordered the skinny cappuccino, El Carmen Estate blend from El Salvador. Strong chocolatey coco notes, dark and smooth. Rich and velvety mouth feel, when taken with skinny milk. If compared with beer, it would be akin to Stone Brewery's Russian Imperial Stout. $5.50.

The boss served us the Pork Cubes and asked about our thoughts on the coffee. He then suggested we try his other blend to find out the difference. He immediately went and brewed us a complimentary cup!

The Fried Pork Cubes were actually meaty pieces of pork collar, one of the tastiest cuts of pork available. If compared with Santouka's divine pork cheek dish, this would be a less tender version but just as flavorful. Do note that this dish, visually, fails to look appetizing. When it came, I just thought it looked like meat that was over-soaked in end-of-day oil. however, this is one of those dishes that warrants a try in order to really appreciate it. The marinade used with the fatty pork tastes quite Asian: vinegary, hints of dark/black sauce, possibly five spice powder. This results in a darned tasty and meaty bite! Only $10!

Jewel Coffee

1 Shenton Way

#01-07

 Tel: 66369452