Quick Vietnamese fix

Once again... I hardly try the restaurants in my neighbourhood but I was in Epping two weekends in a row as I was running out of places to go for lunch.  The development in Rawson Street completed a few years ago is now filled with quite a few restaurants and grocery shop.

I read about this Vietnamese restaurant (Genesis Vietnamese Cuisine) in the local papers and decided to give it a try.  This restaurant is only small and again probably sit about 20.  However, there is also a table outside for those who appreciate the sun and al-freso dining.  This again is a family owned business and as the place is quite small the kitchen itself is small - I wonder how they manage to do their cooking...

This must be quite a popular place as it was quite full when I went with only a table left.  A lot of people ordered the Pho and I decided to try the Beef Pho and the Fried Chicken Noodle soup.  

The Beef Pho had a nice broth.  My only disappointment was that the bean sprouts and the various herbs were not served on a separate plate like in most places but the bean sprouts were cooked in the soup itself.  Having said that the beef noodle was quite tasty.

The Fried Chicken Noodle soup was not too bad as well.  The chicken was nicely fried and the clear soup had a "sweetness" to it.

All in all, not a bad option for someone wanting to get a quick Vietnamese fix without having to venture afar.

ps... oh... avoid the Vietnamese spring roll...I didn't quite like the filling... 

Penang cuisine restaurant

I don't usually visit the restaurants in my neighbourhood... no particular reason for this but having passed by this small restaurant the other day, I thought I'd give it a go.  The restaurant is "tucked" away in a corner, under some stairs in Rawson Street and below the residential block.  I went there after church one Sunday and it appears that this is also a regular haunt for a few of the church members.

The menu is quite varied.  This is a family owned business, the chef (father) hails from Bukit Mertajam and is assisted by his daughter.  This is only a small restaurant and could comfortably sit about 20 people.

Nasi Lemak

There is a "special" during the weekends and it rotates each weekend.  This weekend, the special was Nasi Lemak which we decided to order. 

I must say the nasi lemak lacked a bit of oomphh... and the sambal prawns was just "so-so". The dish itself was not quite "hot" temperature wise - I thought the rice was a bit lukewarm.  The chicken curry itself lacked a bit of body and the kick.

I then ordered the Wa Tan Hor - which looked appetising but sad to say, it was not very tasty.  I think I'm not used to having "corn" in my Wa Tan Hor...

I think there are other restaurants which tasted better in the vicinity and for the portions I think this place is a bit on the pricey side in terms of value for money.

Temasek Restaurant - revisited

After having "boycotted" this restaurant for a number of years due to the fact that I think the staff is quite snobbish and hard to get any service, I decided to check it out again one Saturday afternoon.

The decor itself hasn't changed but somehow the mustard coloured walls was a stand out.  I must say the service has improved, maybe because we were still early.  The crowds slowly started to trickle in with families coming in for their regular Singaporean fix.

Anyway, decided to order their Nasi Lemak and the Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee.

The Nasi Lemak was nice, the chicken curry itself was rich but not too overbearing and the sambal was a good complement to the dish.  The rice was aromatic and all in all, it was quite an authentic Nasi Lemak.

The Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee arrived next.  It smelt nice and had ample prawns and calamari.  Not only did it smell nice, it tasted wonderful too.  Full of that "prawn" stock.... definitely for the seafood lover! 
What can I say... I enjoyed my two dishes.

 Judging from what we had and what the other tables ordered, I think their portion size is slightly "bigger" compared to the other restaurants and we left with a full tummy.

Ok, Ok... would be worthwhile to visit again...and it is off my boycott list...