MOS Café and Dining, Jakarta…burger is just… well, gross

This restaurant is a leading contender for the competition in the horribleness stakes. I hope this restaurant stays open long enough to be featured on the next series of Gordon’s Kitchen Nightmares.

My heart sank, then my blood pressure spiked when I took a bite of that charcoal rich MOS cheese burger. The pate was cold.  Like repulsive just-out-of-a-refrigerator cold.

Consider the service where servers give you the feeling that you should feel lucky to receive whatever you get. When informed of the cold pate, her explanation is that it is meant to be cold because I had wanted it cooked medium rare.

Whatever you think of my food expertise, allow me this: I have been to a lot of places. And I have never in my life take quite so much pleasure in saying no. Don’t bother with MOS Café and Dining. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Hertz, New York City…GPS stopped working

JFK. One of America’s busiest airports is well served by car hire companies catering for the huge numbers of visitors who pass through this major transport hub each year. Just take the complimentary AirTrain to Federal Circle station, where rental car offices are located.

Hertz may have a reputation for being expensive, but it was favourable in terms of affordability and choice of cars. Being a member of their Gold program, I got the “Carfirmation” service, which confirms reservations through text and emails and so I skipped the check-in counter.

There is just one criticism. The GPS stopped working when I was in on the expressway.  Whinge over. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Van Phong Kien Truc Su Tran Binh, Ho Chi Minh City…the flavours are pure Vietnamese.

Contrary to other Asian cuisines, most Singaporeans have only a lukewarm love affair with Vietnamese food.

Enter Van Phong Kien Truc Su Tran Binh, which helps the Vietnamese food scene step up a gear. If you’re already a fan, this could become a favourite. If you’re not, it might just convert you.

The food is full of bright, fresh flavours, with an abundance of fragrant herbs and minimal use of oil. Try the superb dau hu trung nha lam – home-made tofu with egg. But why stop there? Choose the Thit kho trung – pork stewed with egg and the squid fried with fish sauce and also the climbing perch stewed in claypot.

It’s not great. But it’s good. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Restaurant Rosengarten, Bern…Great food and jaw-dropping views

If you fancy stunning panoramic Altstadt views with your food, you’ve come to the right place. Just a short walk from the Bear Park, Restaurant Rosengarten offers a feast for the eyes — and for the taste buds, as well.

The pan seared honey and white balsamic scallops, artichokes-asparagus salad and pomegranate were delicately sweet and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The delicious angus beef rump-steak with green pepper sauce, French fries and market salad was cooked to perfection.

With incredible panoramas, it is hard to compete with Restaurant Rosengarten’s setting. This is just the spot for a special occasion. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Pancake House, Bangkok…absolutely delicious, as pancakes should be

With the word in its name, the pancakes here alone are worth making a visit for.

Try a bite of these Nutella salted caramel pancakes and I think you’ll agree! The three stacks buttermilk pancake+ fresh bananas+ nutella sauce+ salted caramel sauce+ chocolate chip+ whipped cream+ vanilla ice cream all play off one another and is absolutely delicious, as pancakes should be. If this is sinful, I don’t want to be good!

Sometimes it’s the simple things, well-executed, that are true testament to a kitchen’s prowess. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Monarch Coin Laundry, Cambridge…the shabbiest laundrette I’ve been in

It hits me as soon as I step into Monarch Coin Laundry, it’s absolutely filthy. Looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years, really. There are nearly no self serve laundromats in the area so this place doesn’t even have to try.

There are plenty of different sized washers and dryers for small to large loads. Not much else good to say. Other than being dirty, there are no change machine on site (nip over to the Tesco express next door) and no folding tables or anywhere to fold.

It’s a beaten up laundromat. Don’t go in with high expectations and you’ll leave decently satisfied. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Legal Sea Foods Restaurant, Boston…seafood at a new level of deliciousness

Boston has a huge amount to offer when it comes to seafood. With a tagline that screams “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t legal”, Legal specializes in one type of fare: seafood. The name of the game here is all things ocean.

The New England clam chowder is rich and creamy and shockingly delicious, with just the right amount of potatoes. There’s a lot of joy to be had in the lobster roll warm butter poached or traditional with mayo. The lobster meat, served chilled, has a firm bite and a tender follow through. It puts many of its competitors to shame in terms of pure taste and texture so it deserves a place in your belly. Legal’s signature crab cake – simply put – jumbo lump crab, mustard sauce, seasonal salad is one of the great classics of Legal Seafoods Restaurant. There is a simple genius about it, the crispness and creaminess and intrinsic sweetness of the moist and intensely crab-flavoured cakes.

There’s one thing you’re sure to find at Legal Sea Foods Restaurant- an excellent meal. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Hamburg Steak Keisuke, Singapore…like beef from pampered cows

Fancy a hamburg steak? Of course you do. It’s the food trend fave that’ll never die.

But not all hamburg steaks are born the same, and Keisuke’s is utter meaty marvels: juice-seeping, humming with flavor. There are just a few tables, so don’t expect much in the way of comfort or ambience. But what you will discover is a stripped-back but hugely satisfying formula for the prime beef hamburg set – with or without cheese. Beef from pampered cows come perfectly cooked and properly seasoned for one hell of a meaty mouthful. The 4 sauces: Keisuke original sweet-and-spicy sauce, demi-glace, oroshi ponzu (radish with vinegar), and teriyaki add to the flavor invasion. Maximise on the salad bar and the show-stopping egg station with its sunny sideup, overeasy, boiled, scrambled, half-boiled, omelette, and tamago yaki.

In my (not so) humble opinion, Keisuke has the best hamburg steak in town. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Imperial Thai, Penang…goodbye to the knots in my back!

It’s no secret that Singaporeans are stressed. Traditional Thai deep-tissue massage appeal to a growing interest in treatments and proving particularly popular amongst Singaporeans and Malaysians.

Khun Pha had some power behind her. For over an hour, every inch of my body was stretched, pummeled and finally, relaxed. I was seriously impressed with Khun Pha and her technique. Goodbye to the knots in my back!

Hit Imperial Spa to relax from the insanity of the city. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…