Posted by
Anny Chih on January 15, 2012 at 5:51 pm.
When kids play restaurant they think that by using pretty plates and tablecloths, describing their dishes in fancy ways, and charging higher than average prices, their establishment is automatically chic, upscale and worth every penny. They don’t usually think about what the plastic food tastes like because in pretend land, food is as good as the imagination. Sadly, reality isn’t quite the same.
Phil selected Refuel Restaurant for this month’s Dinner Club outing. Its website motto is “honest food relaxed atmosphere” and I don’t agree with either of those statements. The restaurant seemed to be suffering from an identity crisis; flipping between glorified dishes that all “taste beautiful” according to our server who was sporting a low-cut shirt displaying her breast tattoo, and over-priced bottled sodas paired with miniature dishes that were either over-salted, over-cooked, or tasted like broccoli (even though there was none in it). Based on taste alone, the dishes should’ve been served in take-out containers and with double the amount for half the price.
Posted by
Anny Chih on August 17, 2011 at 2:14 pm.
Raise your hand if you don’t like ordering food at a Japanese restaurant? *raises hand* (Ang raises her hand too) There are simply too many options. How many pieces should I get? If I want sashimi and sushi, should I just get a combo box? But I don’t want tempura and they always have tempura. Should I order tofu? Or a sunomono? What goes with what? Does that even matter? I just want to eat, damnit!
Posted by
Anny Chih on July 13, 2011 at 10:49 pm.
We ordered Allan’s Mammoth Platter to share, and it was just right for the six of us (mind you, some of us have smaller appetites than others). When it arrived, we could tell right away that this was going to be a good experience. The meat was hot, moist, well covered in sauce, and a beautiful BBQ brown colour.
Posted by
Anny Chih on May 9, 2011 at 6:04 pm.
Choosing a place that only serves raw organic food was definitely the most contentious decision in Dinner Club history. But hey, isn’t Dinner Club all about trying new things? We hadn’t gone to a vegetarian restaurant before — let alone a RAW organic restaurant, but we’ve had practically-all-meat meals at Memphis Blues and Old Bavaria Haus.
Posted by
Anny Chih on April 11, 2011 at 12:45 am.
This edition of Dinner Club was a particularly dangerous one where your faithful judges showed their undying commitment to finding the yummiest dishes in town regardless of the restaurant location, taking silly photos at the establishments that serve them, and satisfying any and all cravings at two in the morning even if it means they might end up in the hospital. Yes, that’s how dedicated we are.
Posted by
Anny Chih on February 6, 2011 at 11:50 pm.
In case you’ve never been properly introduced to Ethiopian cuisine, here’s a quick brief: Ethiopian dishes are served on and with a spongy warm flatbread the size of a large pizza (injera). It’s soft, squishy, slightly sour, and can come in a light tan, brownish, or grey colour depending on the restaurant’s method of preparation. You eat the dishes much like you would eat Indian food, by tearing a piece of injera and using it to pick up some tibs (vegetarian or meat dish), wot (stew), or (if you really trust the restaurant) kitfo (raw marinated beef). There are no utensils and it’s more fun to go with friends, so make sure you have friends with good hygiene.
Posted by
Anny Chih on January 9, 2011 at 10:50 pm.
The Five Guys menu consists of burgers and fries (can’t say they have a misleading name), hot dogs, and sandwiches. You don’t have the option of choosing chicken, or vegetarian for your burger patty, but you do get to choose what ingredients you want slapped on. We ordered five burgers with just about every topping, one sandwich, Five Guys Style and Cajun fries, and soft drinks.
Ann had ordered a “Little” burger, but I’m pretty sure she got a regular sized burger instead. Kenny ordered a bacon cheeseburger but he’s “pretty sure they forgot the bacon”. And Ang ordered a Veggie and Grilled Cheese sandwich, but was pretty sure they forgot what food is.
Posted by
Anny Chih on October 19, 2009 at 11:36 pm.
LA has the scariest freeway / highway system I’ve ever come across (worse than driving in Russia!). We came so close to being hit by tailgaters, non-signalers, and crazy weavers in the six to eight lane concrete monstrosities that less than 10 minutes in, I knew I could never live in Los Angeles. We actually considered leaving LA right after dropping Kim off at his hotel for his conference.
Posted by
Anny Chih on October 3, 2009 at 12:22 pm.
Sarah and I both ordered the native platter entree (note: in Australia, an “entree” is an appetizer and a “main” is an entree) because it comes with an assortment of native berries, home-made damper (a heavy herb bread — I think it was thyme), native dips, kangaroo, emu and crocodile. We also asked to have a bit of Tasmanian possum thrown in as well.