Qalaysiz! Salom! (Hi, Good Afternoon) Dinner at Zeffir Uzbek Russian Restaurant

It was one of those days where Cuchi wanted to take a walk through the streets of Little India and have a look at some of the night scene over there. While strolling through, she noticed something unique along Dunlop street. Surprise surprise! There is an Uzbek Russian resturant call Zeffir right here! Cute Cute and Cuchi went in and got a namecard and little did they know that after a week, they were back to try the food there.

Zeffir's logo

Excited by the notion of going to an Uzbek restaurant, Cute Cute could not help but recall how he was introduced to Uzbekistan because of Borat... Heh Heh... The interior was very homely and it emitted a very warm feel. Patrick, the owner, also made sure that we were comfortable. 

Not really sure what to order, Patrick noted the lions' curiosity and puzzled look and came over to recommend them what to order. After listening, the lions ordered the Borsh, Lagman Zeffir (A noodle dish), homestyle potatoes, Kompote (apple and plum drink) and a Napolean dessert. Initially the Plov (a rice dish) was to be ordered but they were still cooking it and the waiting time was one hour. Darn...

The Kompote came first and it was refreshing, kinda of reminds Cuchi of the san zha drink but a lighter version of it.

Kompote

Looking at the surroundings while waiting, the lions also noticed that it was Uzbeks who are cooking in the kitchen. Some of them peeked out to converse with Patrick and serve the lions. A little Uzbek boy was watching Russian Tv while having his dinner.... adds to the Russian feel. Hahaha! The Borsh came first and it was different from the Borsh that the lions had ever seen. Patrick explained that the Borsh should be mixed with the sour cream to get the correct Borsh taste. The Borsh was savory with a hint of sourness and it was one of the best Borsh that Cute Cute has ever tried. Lagman Zeffir was up next. The appearance looked like a semi soupy beef noodle. It looked simple but surprisingly it was unique. Cannot really put a description to the taste. It was just a little savory but you can taste the beef when you take parts of the beef. The potatoes and beef came up nice and tasty. Reminded Cuchi of a Chinese dish but Patrick explained that the potatoes were cooked first and placed on top of the beef. Well the lions did enjoy all the main courses and every last bit was eaten up.

Borsh

Lagman Zeffir

Tuffy cannot wait to get his paws on the beef inside

Finally in came the dessert, Napolean dessert, a sweet multi layered dessert. The lovely sweet paste in between the dessert was a combination of condensed milk and cream, mixed to the right texture. The pastry used was a mystery though....

Furry dessert

It was a shame that the Plov was not tried that day. Looks like the lions will be back for more exotic food!

Here is our review for Zeffir

Food quality: 8.0 pawprints out of 10 (Very homely!)

Ambience: 7.5 pawprints out of 10(Very homely as well too!)

Specials that you should try: Borsh, Plov, potatoes and beef

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address and website

Zeffir Uzbek Russian Restaurant

70 Dunlop Street

Singapore 209398

Tel: 6396 0818

Quynh Giao Quan An Viet Nam Restaurant...Sleazy, seedy..Sumptious though! =)

Joo Chiat, an area well known for it's night life and charm (both sleazy and non sleazy), is one of the more authentic places of Singapore where you can experience a part of real Singapore and not the fakey Chinatown that we have now... Undergoing a slow bohemian transformation, Joo Chiat houses a variety of restaurants, cafes and local food stalls. The lions just love strolling down Joo Chiat and observe the people and buzz that goes past this road. When it comes to Vietnamese food, the closest and most authentic Viet restaurant that one can experience would be at Quynh Giao Quan An Viet Nam Restaurant.

The first thing you notice would be the number of Viet prostitutes dining over there. But don't worry, they do not harass anybody and in fact, they add to the atmosphere of the restaurant. Nothing like eating with sinners in a humble place rather than with hypocrites in a posh place! Once the lions knew they are going to Quan An, Cute Cute's tail started spinning to bring them to the place. 

Coconut prawns

Ice Viet Tea

Gong Gong with Lemon Salt Pepper condiment

The lions started with some appetisers, coconut prawns, gong gong (a type of shell fish, refer to picture) and viet ngo hiang. (meat rolls) Surprisingly, the prawns were very fresh with a hint of coconut. It's a real steal at $12. The gong gong were also very good and unique as the lions had never eaten gong gong with lemon salt pepper condiment. The main star of the appetiser was the viet ngo hiang though. Very tasty and full of flavor, the ngo hiang was very savory but apart from the taste of mushrooms inside, other ingredients cannot be discerned which makes it a mystery to the lions in a good way.

Dried beef pho

Stir fried beef rice

Ngo Hiang

The mains came shortly after the appetisers were served. The lions tried the pho before and it was good thus they wanted to try the other mains. However, the other mains were rather average. The dried beef pho was quite bland and need more fish sauce and the stir fried beef rice was nothing fantastic. Think the lions will stick to the soup pho for the time being. Surprisingly the appetisers were the stars of Quan An. Of course, one must also try the drinks such as Viet coffee and ice viet tea there too! 

 

Here is our review for Quynh Giao Quan An Viet Nam Restaurant

Coffee quality: 6.5 pawprints out of 10 (Vietnam coffee)

Food quality: 7.5 pawprints out of 10 

Ambience: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

Specials that you should try: Ngo Hiang!, Gong Gong, Coconut prawns, soup pho

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address and website

Quynh Giao Quan An Viet Nam Restaurant

149 Joo Chiat Road

Singapore 427427

Tel: 8333 0605

Feeling sluggish? Head to Garden Slug!

Sunday afternoon, a nice time to lounge around somewhere before starting the week new.... But where should you go? The baby lions wanted to laze around but Cuchi was insistent on going somewhere. So riding on Cute Cute's back, Singa and Cuchi took a ride down to Telok Kurau area to the Garden Slug.

Direct! We like!

Isolated from the main bustling area of Katong, Marine Parade and East Coast, Garden Slug is located at a quiet area of Telok Kurau which makes it a very nice area to chill. Spanning a large area, the Garden Slug is a very relaxing place with indoors and outdoor seating. Having a very rustic feel, it gives a very lazy sluggish feel that makes you wanna curl up in a corner and nap.

Rustic indoors

Airy outdoors

After gawking around and feeling lazy, Cute Cute wanted some food before he turn grump, so the orders were a mini appetiser platter, a long black and an ice tea. Food came rather quickly and the lions were happy. The long black, surprisingly, was good with a nice smooth taste coupled with a strong body to it. For the mini appetiser platter, 5 varieties of appetiser can be chosen. (I think there are 6 to 8 different appetisers for you to choose from) Singa chose the wings, calamari rings, brushetta, sausages and fried cheese. The calamari rings, sausages and fried cheese were rather ordinary but the wings and brushetta were above average. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg as the Garden Slug has a quite a huge menu list.

Refreshing ice tea

Long black

Mini appetiser platter

It was a short chillax session for the lions as they just wanted to have a drink and have some snacks. They will be back to try the food at the garden slug. Not only that the lions made a lot of friends while they were there!!

Kitty taking shelter

Nice Kitty posing for us

Here is our review for The Garden Slug

Coffee quality: 7 pawprints out of 10

Food quality: 7 pawprints out of 10 (The lions have yet to try the rest yet though....)
Ambience: 7.5 pawprints out of 10

Specials that you should try: Long black, wings, brushetta

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address and website

The Garden Slug

55 Lorong L Telok Kurau,

#01-59/61 Bright Centre,

Singapore 425500 

Tel:6346 0504 

http://thegardenslug.com/

Kicking off 2012 with 7KickStart Brewiches

People who have been to SOHO7 cafe near the Peranakan musuem will be familiar with the owner of that place, Ms Swee. Imagine the disappointment when we went back to SOHO7 cafe and could not find her and her wonderful burgers... But Cute Cute the lion, ever resourceful, managed to find out that Ms Swee has opened another cafe, which is also near Armenian street, named 7KickStart.

Ever changing menu

Open kitchen concept!

Feeling excited about seeing Ms Swee and her food again, Cuchi and Cute Cute flew down to Armenian street to find 7Kickstart. It was not hard to find the place as it was directly opposite substation. Occupying quite a huge area, 7 Kickstart is a very quirky place to have your coffee, meals and chill while looking at the posters, open kitchen and decorations around the cafe. (includes coffee beans and apparatus)

Menu comes in 2 forms.... the hardcopy menu and the extra hardcopy menu which is on the wall or blackboard. The lions settled for a Delish burger, a firecracker burger, long black and jaffa coffee. You will admit that Ms Swee has very unique ways of serving up her food and drinks. Small pans and measuring cups are what you will expect to be served in.

Jaffa Coffee

Delish Burger (Gah my burger has been murdered!)

Firecracker Burger

Even water is self served in a plastic measuring cup!

The coffees came first. The long black was nice and smooth, the lions found out that Ms Swee roast her own beans which solved the mystery of bags of green beans in the cafe. The Jaffa coffee was the unique drink of the day. Orange, chocolate and coffee all in a cup and it was a nice combination. However, that drink is a festive special along with others like gingerbread latte. Expect more special variations as you visit 7kickstart time to time. The burgers were divine and reminded the lions of the burgers that they used to eat. Topped with lots of vegetables, healthy eaters would love them burgers. The only grouse was that the portion of the burgers are smaller....

A very comfy place to relax in, 7 Kickstart Brewiches is definitely one of the places that is worth multiple visits. Friendly service and great food and coffee over at 7Kickstart will make your day happy.

 

Here is our review for 7Kickstart Brewiches

Coffee quality: 8 pawprints out of 10

Food quality: 8.5 pawprints out of 10 (Has a very home made flavor but do bear with the waiting time)
Ambience: 8.5 pawprints out of 10

Specials that you should try: Burgers, specialty coffees

For those who are interested in going there, here is the address and website

7Kickstart Brewiches

50 Armenian Street 

#01-02, Wilmer Place

Singapore 179938

Tel:83897877

http://www.facebook.com/pages/7-KICKstart-BREWiches/124587654297093?sk=info