Places to Dine at The Star Vista Bouna Vista

 It has been quite awhile since I last visited The Star Vista. I decided to choose this place for meetup with my friends because it is a mid point location and less crowded than other malls. The Star Vista is an unique mall because it is naturally ventilated and aircon is only available in the stores. There are quite a number of restaurants and eateries that will attract us to visit. Here are some restaurants and eateries that I visited.

1. Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant (#02-16)

Watami is a Japanese Causal Restaurant that serves an assorted variety of authentic Japanese cuisine at affordable price. 

We ordered a plate of Salmon Maki for sharing. The delicious salmon coated with mentaiko mayo was sitting on top of the sushi, making the maki tasted flavoursome as a whole.

I had Teriyaki Chicken Don with Egg ($6.90++).

This menu made our eyes light up with their affordable price. The portion may not be enough for big eater, but it was just nice for me.

Happy birthday in advance, Linda.

Hope you like the gift and dinner treat. Thanks for the belated birthday gift too.

2. 5 Senses Bistro (#02-21)

Today's food hunt brought me to 5 Senses Bistro, an Asian and European fusion bistro.

We had Furikake Fries ($8.90++) to go with our meal. The fries were very addictive and well seasoned with Japanese rice seasoning.

I had Carbonara ($9.90++) for my main course. The portion was generous, the spaghettis was tossed with smoked bacon and parmesan cheese, and finished off with poached egg. I broke open the egg yolk and give it a good mix before eating, letting the egg yolk soaked into the spaghettis and enhancing the taste.

3. Geláre (#02-27)

Chanced upon Gelare while walking around the mall and I was attracted by their waffle ice cream, so we decided to stop by here for dessert.

Half Classic Waffles with Cookie and Cream Ice Cream allows you to choose two toppings. I ended up selected mini marshmallow and chocolate bits. With the chocolate sauce drizzled over, it was definitely rich in choco taste. The waffle was very crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

4. Imakatsu (#01-17)

Imakatsu is a Tonkatsu-specialty Japanese restaurant located at level 1 of The Star Vista. This outlet is the first overseas store that opened outside Japan. Being featured in "Michelin Guide Tokyo 2015", it made me want to give it a try.

We came without reservation and got a seat immediately, we got a glass of green tea while waiting for the food.

I had Premium Pork Loin Cutlet which comes with the finest cuts of Japanese pork loin and different sauces. All the sauces paired well with the pork cutlet, each added different taste to the pork cutlet.

The pork cutlet was crispy on the outside with the light battered while the lean meat within was tender and juicy.

Stay tuned for more sharing by location.

Food Review: Kin Hoi Fresh Cockles at Holland Close Coffee Shop

Who doesn't love indulging in affordable and delicious food affair?

I have ventured into Holland Close for food hunt and discovered a delectable stall, Kin Hoi, that sell fresh and clean cockles. Let me share with you my seafood gastronomical experience at Kin Hoi. If you love shellfish, this is the place for you. They are available for Food Panda delivery too if you prefer to dine at home.

With the girls at Kin Hoi for an early dinner. 

Thanks Tracy for the group photo and Dawn for gathering us.

The first dish we tried was the best seller, Cockles Thai Style ($8/$15).

Every cockle you see on the plate were thoroughly washed to ensure the cleanliness of the cockles and we won't get any sandy cockles. 

Thumb up to the hardwork put in by Daniel and Atchara, founder of Kin Hoi, in delivering the quality food. They wake up at 6am during operating days to kickstart their food preparation and cleaning, preparing the food delivery orders for afternoon and operating the stalls from 4pm till the night ends.

The plate of cockles were accompanied with Thai Chili Sauce, the cockle was best to consume with the sauce dipped to capture the acidic and spicy flavours that complement the taste.

Look at the fresh Oysters from Japan which are only available from Friday to Sunday. Kin Hoi is selling the oysters at $3.50 per piece.

They also have oysters from Seattle Washington, USA for sale. It is priced at $19.50 for 6 pieces, available only for take away.

The plate of Oyster was captivating. You can squeeze the lemon on the oyster (optional) before consuming, this will stimulate your appetite with the acidic taste.

Use a fork to detach the flesh from the shell and slurp it down. The oyster was really fresh, juicy and irresistible. This is a must order for the seafood lovers.

Thai Vermicelli Salad ($6) was an appetising dish. The vermicelli salad was drizzled with the signature Thai chili sauce that was packed with spice and sourness. The vermicelli was very smooth and slippery. With the Thai chili sauce that coated every strand of the vermicelli, it gave a refreshing kick.

My favourite dish was Thai Honey Grilled Pork ($6/$12) which captured the combination of sweetness from honey and the savoury taste. Every piece of the grilled pork glazed shiningly, as though it was inviting me to move our chopsticks to the plate. All four of us agreed that the Thai Honey Grilled Pork pleased our palates with it's moderate sweetness and it helped to ease the spices we had from the other dishes.

One unique point about Kin Hoi is that their dishes are all served in a square plate, this is not something commonly found at other places.

Next up was Top Shell Salad ($8). The top shell was sliced into thin bite size which was very chewy and soft, the texture resembled abalone. The top shell was mixed with fresh onions and Thai chili sauce to refresh our taste buds.

My first time trying Gong Gong ($6/$12). Gong Gong is also known as sea snail. I have never eaten escargot before, so here's my first time trying a snail like dish.

The way to eat Gong Gong was to use a stick to dig out the flesh from the shell. It required a bit of technique to dig out the flesh, you might need to dig in a few times finding the spot before you can pull it out.

After pulling out the flesh, dip it into the Thai chili sauce and I'm ready to dig in. The Gong Gong was thoroughly clean too and there was no murky taste. It has a chewy texture too.

Last but not least was Mussels Thai Style ($6/$12). Over at Kin Hoi, the fresh seafood here are plentiful. The texture was slightly chewy and I like that there was no fishy taste.

We were captivated by the table full of food. Next time if you are around Holland area, come over to Kin Hou to try out the fresh seafood for yourself.

Visit Kin Hoi's Facebook page for more information.

Kin Hoi

Blk 6 Holland Close 

Singapore 271006

Operating hours: 4pm to 10pm from Tuesday to Sunday

Available on Food Panda Delivery

This post is a collaboration with Kin Hoi and expressed in my own opinion.

Birthday Celebration 2020: Omoomodon + The Coffee Academics + Cake Spade

Wednesday 22/7/20

Finally met up with Linda, we have been wanting to schedule a meet up since the start of July but I was just too busy with a major event. Hence, the meetup was delayed till now. As Linda was working from her workplace that day, I decided to choose a venue that is convenient for her and I fixed the venue at The Star Vista.

Since The Star Vista is the mall she is familiar with, I let her make the call for choosing the dining place. The first stop we went was Omoomodon and we settled for this.

Omoomodon is a halal eatery that serves Korean Japanese cuisine. One of the draw factors of the eatery is the affordable pricing of their food. Ordering of food was contactless as the order was placed on machine. We opt for alfresco dining.

Linda had Spicy Chicken Teppan ($6.50).

So happy to see her again, this was our first meetup of the year. I always enjoyed our talk, ranting about our work, stress and issues that we are facing everyday because we shared similar encounters. It made us feel lighter and relieving some stress just by saying it out. Though we are overwhelmed with piles of work, we are still hanging on because we know that what we do will contribute to a greater cause.

I had Teriyaki Chicken & Karaage Teppan ($6.90). The Teriyaki Chicken & Karaage were drizzled with sauce with sweet corns added as side. It was simple but delicious. Food always taste better when eating with friends.

After the dinner, we went to look for drinks and settled for Liho Tea. I had Jasmine Tea with pearl ($2.80) on the right. 

Due to the social distancing rule, we were unable to find any seat at outdoor so we just stand and chill while sipping our drinks. Thanks Linda for the dinner and drink treats. Though we don't meet up that often, I know you will always be there for me.

Friday 24/7/20

Yes, it's Friday. Today was the first time out of the 3 months that I ended work at 6 plus, that's not because I finished my work but because I was heading out to meet the girls for dinner. Time to catch a relief before clearing the work on weekend. We met up for dinner at The Coffee Academics @ Raffles City, a cosy cafe tucked in the basement level recommended by Tracy.

We ordered small bites to share before the main course arrived, Curly Fries with Dip Trio ($16++). The curly fries were served with 3 dip sauces - honey mustard, house-smoked ketchup and curry mayonnaise. Needless to say, curry sauce is always our favourite.

All-day Breakfast

We were drawn to their all-day breakfast selection and we chose 2 dishes. The first was Smoked Salmon & Hash ($24.50++). The homemade potato hash patty was served alongside with smoked salmon, baby spinach leaves, poached egg and other greens.

The Academics Breakfast ($28++) was the all-time favourite for breakfast selection. The presentation looked sumptuous from the maple bacon to homemade baked beans, sauteed mushroom, halloumi cheese, scrambled egg, brioche toast and seasonal green.

This was really delicious, my dream breakfast. However, the price is a little on the steep side.

For pasta selection, we tried Salted Egg Bacon Carbonara ($23.50++). The linguine pasta was tossed with bacon and doused in creamy salted egg sauce which enhanced the taste of the overall dish.

The last main course was Truffle Portobello Mushroom Pizza ($26++). The thin crust pizza was toppled with portobello mushroom, onion, mozzarella cheese and drizzled with truffle oil. This was another well loved dish by us because we loved the thin crust pizza which was crunchy like biscuit.

The gathering turned out to be a birthday celebration for me, so sweet of them to plan this celebration for me as I hit a new birthday milestone and join the club. Gonna start clocking a new milestone ahead.

Thanks GF for the photo, with the lovely girls - Meryl, Tracy, GF and Jas.

As the years passed by, one will find that the circle of friends are getting smaller and smaller. I so happy that I have the girls with me throughout these 6 to 9 years, we gave each other support physically and mentally, witnessed each other growing up journey and entering different phases of life. My heart feel so full with this celebrated where we spent time catching up and enjoyed the hearty full in a relaxing atmosphere.

Thanks girls for the dinner treat and the birthday gifts, you girls made my day.

Tuesday 28/7/20

I received a sweet surprise treat from G.

She got the 3 of us Strawberry and Peach Tofu Cheesecake from Cake Spade. I ate the strawberry cheesecake, it was super delicious especially the biscuit crust which was crunchy while the tofu was soft and literally melt in the mouth. I'm gonna save the peach tofu cheesecake for my birthday.

Wednesday 29/7/20

Met up with MI for lunch today.

Since it was raining and we don't want to go somewhere fast, we settled for Pizza Hut. We had BBQ Chicken Pizza and Cheese Fries. Thanks MI for the lunch treat and had a great afternoon chatting.

Before I end the post, happy birthday to myself. 

This year has been a of roller roaster ride, may peaceful and good days come to me soon.

Bodacious Bar & Bistro Food Tasting

Tuck in a hidden jem of 70 Biopolis Street lies a bistro bar:
Bodacious Bar & Bistro.

Friends working and living in the west has an alternative place to drop by for brunch, lunch or dinner. Bodacious Bar & Bistro is located near Buona Vista MRT station, it is just 7-10 walk from the station.

Upon entering the eatery, the big and sparkling signage has immediately caught my attention.
Little did I know the word 'Bodacious' is actually the combination of 2 words - bold and audacious.  Bodacious is a word commonly used during the 80's and early 90's in the Western countries.
It is used to describe something that is impressive and remarkable.

Bodacious Bar & Bistro has a cosy and warm setting that makes you feel at ease and homely.

Definitely a comfortable place to chill out with friends.

Also, Bodacious Bar & Bistro will change their menu frequently to include the top 10 best selling items in the menu.

Tried Bodacious Signature Mocktail ($4.20).

A refreshing drink with a slice of lemon and grapefruit that infused the sour and sweetness together.

Kickstarted our dinner with Thai Grilled Beef Salad ($13.80).

Sirloin beef strips were served with a refreshing combination of healthy green vegetables, trio of peppers, pomelo, cherry tomatoes, daikon, basil, mint and Thai vinaigrette dressing.

After that, we had Prawn Bisque Bread Bowl ($14.80) for soup.

The luxurious seafood bisque served in a sourdough bread bowl, the soup has a rich soup base that tasted deliciously when dipped with the bread. The way to eat is to let the bread soaked in the tantalizing flavour of seafood broth before munching on it.

At Bodacious Bar & Bistro, they serves all-day breakfast. You can try their delicious breakfast at any time you like. Here's what we have: Croissant & Scrambled Eggs ($14.80)

The crispy bacon toppled on the heritage croissant filled with scrambled eggs was served together with portobello mushroom, fruits and tomato. This is definitely a hearty breakfast that I love to indulge in every morning.

This may looked simple but it tasted marvelous, the scrambled eggs were soft in texture that will melt in your mouth while the croissant and bacon was crispy good.

Bodacious Eggs Benedict ($14.80)

The poached eggs drizzled with hollandaise sauce was served with Norwegian smoked salmon and avocado spread on English muffin. Eggs Benedict is something I will always order when it is available on the menu, all-time favourite for brunch.

Seafood Risotto ($15.80)

A plate full of seafood delights that consist of pan-seared prawns, calamari and risotto coated in flavourful seafood broth. Savouring every bite of risotto coated with the rich creamy broth, every bite was bursting with flavours.

Grilled Chicken & Pesto Pasta ($14.80)

The grilled chicken toasted in pesto sauce toppled on al dente pasta. This is definitely a delicious combination, I like the grilled chicken, the meat was tender.

This is the dish I was waiting for: Laksa Pasta ($15.80)

I love laksa. So when I knew we were going to try the laksa pasta, I was anticipating as this special creation was hardly available at other places.

The pasta was coated in a fragrant laksa sauce that will spice up your appetite. The laksa sauce was really hot and spicy. This dish was great for spice lovers who prefer the burning feeling that lingered in your mouth.

Here's what next.

Pulled Pork Burger ($14.80)

The baked pork belly was shredded and layered with spicy apple BBQ sauce and melted with sharp cheddar. It was served with a side of sweet potato fries. I love the sweet potato fries so much that I couldn't stopped myself from eating. Personally, I feel that the portion is huge and I definitely couldn't finish it alone. This is good to order for sharing.

Tenderloin Steak & Fries ($21.80)

The grilled Australia grass-fed beef was cooked medium rare, you can see the blood oozing out with slicing the steak. It was served together with house-cut fries.

Fatty Duck Confit ($19.80)

This is the country-style duck confit that was served with potato mashed and dark cherry sauce topping. It was mouthwatering when dipped in the cherry sauce and mashed potato, the meat was tender and tasty under the crispy skin.

After a hearty dinner, we indulged ourselves in the sweet treat - Shibuya Toast ($13.80).

The honey drizzled toast toppled with salted butter and vanilla ice-cream was heavenly delicious. The toast was crispy on the outer and fluffy on the inner. Every bite was infused with sweetness that was addictive. I want more of this.

The ladies enjoyed the dessert very much.

The happy and satisfied face of the gang after a hearty dinner. 

Thanks Bodacious Bar & Bistro for the warm hospitality of hosting us. We will definitely be back to patronise again. See you again.

Bodacious Bar & Bistro

70 Biopolis Street

Singapore 138547

Tel: 6778 9585

Operating hours:

Mon-Fri: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm 

Sat: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm