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Halia, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Posted by  | Categories: Attractions, Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, Restaurants, Singapore, Travel

One of the many unfortunate consequences for me if I eat gluten is the way my skin reacts. Within about eight to twelve hours of being “poisoned” I break out in an extremely itchy rash that often spreads to my face. The itch is incessant day and night breaking my sleep into fitful scratching fragments. The eczema is unsightly and I’ll confess to my vanity as it makes me feel highly self-conscious taking over a week to heal, sometimes longer.

Understandably in the months preceding our wedding I became painstakingly cautious with everything I ate.  I was not ready to take any risks of accidental gluten ingestion. My sufferance paid off because on the wedding day my face was blemish free and radiant. On the return trip home from Thailand via Singapore my newly wed husband and I spent nearly four days eating non-stop. I was so relieved to finally be able to stop scrutinising everything I ate; it felt like a pressure was lifted off my shoulders. However as is often the case with me it is all-or-nothing and consequently I swung too far into complacency resulting in the obvious; gluten poisoning.

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Singapore Botanic Gardens

The following day the Boy dragged me from our hotel room to the Singapore Botanical Gardens where he started to get a little frustrated with me. I am normally a very energetic and excitable person sometimes to the point of excess.  In stark contrast gluten transforms me into a lethargic, whingeing misery guts. As we walked around the beautiful gardens all I could selfishly think of was finding a cool place to sit and enjoy a drink and hopefully some gluten free food. We were right in the heart of the Gardens so the Boy thought the easiest thing to soothe for his poor suffering wife was to take her to the café inside the Gardens themselves; Halia.

As we walked toward the restaurant my head was spinning and I felt nauseous. Gluten does evil to me I tell you! Desperate to escape the humidity we moved inside keen for some icy air-conditioning. I noted two big split systems side by side on the wall inside and chose a table where I thought we would receive most of their blast.  Sadly it turned out that it didn’t really matter where we sat because the sliding door opening out onto the decking outside was continually left open by passing staff members.

"Raspberry sorbet" "amuse bouche" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

Raspberry sorbet amuse bouche

The prices on the menu were fairly high for Singapore standards and I hoped this meant we were in for a fine dining treat. Our fine dining experiences in Singapore have been out of this world but these meals haven’t come cheap. Halia offers a set menu for lunchtime or you can order dishes at full price off their à la carte menu.  There was a dramatic difference in prices between the two menus but sadly nothing appealed to me off the cheaper set menu. I ordered a single course off the more expensive option with a garden salad on the side whilst the Boy opted for the two-course set. I was brought out a small serve of raspberry sorbet as an amuse bouche but because the boy had the set menu they didn’t offer him a serve. It was very refreshingly and cooled me down nicely.

"Garden salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

Garden salad

Despite advising them I would like my salad to come out with my main, it was brought out separately on its own without any other meals. We finished it well before either my solitary main or the boy’s entrée even made it to our table.  Each of our meals then came out slowly one by one, the Boy ate his entrée, after a bit of a wait his plate was cleared and then out came my main dish, and then just as I finished my food out came his main. What terrible timing!

"Harissa tuna tataki" "tuna tartare" "Harissa chicken" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

Harissa tuna tataki with tuna tartare became Harissa chicken

The Boy ordered what was described on the menu as harissa marinated tuna tataki, tuna tartare, daikon salad, avocado and lime.  However placing our order we were informed that there was in fact no tuna left and that the tataki and the tartare would be replaced by harissa chicken tenderloins. Hey? That’s one way to save on kitchen costs! The Boy was served a couple of barely edible dry pieces of overcooked chicken bedded on a smear of avocado with some grated daikon.

"Salmon gravlax" "salmon rosette" "ginger flower" "Hiramisa kingfish sashimi" "salmon roe" "sashimi" "gravlax" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

Salmon gravlax rosette with ginger flower perfumed Hiramisa kingfish sashimi and salmon roe

I ordered the salmon gravlax rosette with ginger flower perfumed Hiramisa kingfish sashimi and salmon roe. Sounds amazing. Priced at $32 Singapore dollars I was expecting either incredibly high quality pieces of fish or a decent sized serve on my plate; one or the other. Unfortunately I presumed incorrectly. My salmon roe was not fresh and left an overly fishy aftertaste in the mouth.  The small serves of salmon were a little chewy and lacked much flavour. The biggest joke of all was the “ginger flower perfumed Hiramisa kingfish sashimi”.

"Salmon gravlax" "salmon rosette" "ginger flower" "Hiramisa kingfish sashimi" "salmon roe" "sashimi" "gravlax" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

Spot the miniscule pieces of king fish inside the salmon

Blink-and-you-will-miss-it pea-sized nubs of kingfish sat inside each rosette and were each barely bigger than the baby capers on my plate.  It was embarrassing.
"450 days grain fed Rangers Valley Wagyu" "rump cap" "450 days grain fed" "Rangers Valley" "Wagyu rump" "potato puree" "chimichurri" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Singapore Food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Singapore" "Singapore travel blog" "Singapore restaurants" "Singapore food blog" "Singapore restaurant reviews" "Singapore attractions" "Halia" "Halia, Botanic Gardens" "Singapore Botanic Gardens" "Ginger garden" "fine dining" "fine dining Singapore"

450 days grain fed Rangers Valley Wagyu rump cap, potato puree and chimichurri

The Boy’s main arrived just as I finished my three mouthfuls of tired fish.  He chose the aged grain fed Rangers Valley Wagyu rump cap. His dish was the only one for our whole meal that had any merit. Although his piece of rump was not much bigger than a large spoon, the meat was buttery and tender.

Having visited Singapore twice in the past three months we have been consistently wowed with some incredible food on both ends of the price scale. Halia was our only disappointing meal for both of these trips. I found this quite a surprise considering the prices of the meals and the location but I guess I should be grateful.  Two trips spanning over a total of seven solid days of eating yet only one meal that didn’t hit the mark is a pretty good innings!

Halia
Ginger Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569 | +65 6476 6711 | http://www.thehalia.com/
 
Price:                     $$$$      
Food:                    3/10 (lack of fresh ingredients, over-priced, no flavour)
Service:                2/5 (very slow and unresponsive)
Ambience:          3/5 (dirty glass widows and poorly functioning air conditioning)
Drinks:                  Unable to assess
Total:                     8/20

Volcanic Stone Grill and Cafe, East Perth & Combat Flight with the Boy

Posted by  | Categories: Perth, Restaurants, Steakhouse

The recent plethora of online voucher deals has meant that even those on a budget can eat out on a regular basis for a considerably reduced cost.  These experiences can tend to be a bit of hit and miss however and I have found that it pays to do your research on the restaurant prior to purchasing. Ultimately at the end of the day you get what you pay for and if your voucher only cost you fifty bucks for a two course meal for two people, don’t expect them to be cracking out the lobster and caviar! What I really like about these vouchers is that they often take you to establishments you never would have thought to eat at which can lead to some great discoveries.

I was recently given a Spreets voucher for Volcanic Stone Grill and Cafe in East Perth which included a two course meal for two. Before booking a table, I went onto Urbanspoon to see what sort of feedback other diners had given on their experiences there. The general consensus of the reviews was quite negative ranging from gripes about the service and attitude of staff right through to the poor quality of the food.

Fighter Combat International – all suited up and ready to fly!

Do you remember what my awesome birthday gift from the Boy was? It was a fighter combat flight for two with Fighter Combat International.  We each went up into the clear blue sky with our own pilots in CJ-6A Chinese Nanchang fighter planes and had an adrenaline filled mock fight in the sky!  The day was absolutely perfect for it with clear blue skies across the full horizon.  Before our skirmish our pilots show us each a series of acrobatic manoeuvres subjecting us to 4G force pressures while flipping and spinning us about in the air like a bird. It was such an incredible experience and for anyone who loved Top Gun it is a must do for your bucket list!

“Volcanic Stone Grill and Cafe, East Perth & Combat Flight”

We headed out for dinner later that evening with our heads still spinning around and doing imaginary loop the loops. I had called in advance to find out they are BYO so we arrived well prepared with wine and beer in hand. The place was fully booked with tables both inside and out.  It was a chilly night so I was glad to be shown to our table situated inside. The restaurant was starkly lit with fluorescent lighting and decorated with plastic plants and our rickety table wobbled on its hinges.  Not really the most romantic or cosy place to go for dinner! However thankfully after the buzz of the experience up in the air neither of us minded the lack of surrounding atmosphere this time. On entering there was a faint smell of tainted meat in the air that was a little unpleasant but with a bit of time my sense of smell adjusted and the smell became less pungent.

"chips" "Volcanic tasting plate" "Olives" "feta cheese" "chorizo sausage" "marinated chicken" "lamb on rosemary" "tiger prawns" "medallion of beef fillet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Claisebrook Cove" "Volcanic Grill" "Volcanic Stone Grill" "Voucher deals" "Spreets" "Grilled meat" "volcanic stone"

Volcanic tasting plate: Olives with feta cheese, chorizo sausage, marinated chicken, lamb on rosemary, tiger prawns, medallion of beef fillet, chips and salad

We started with the Volcanic tasting plate which wasn’t included in our voucher.  The plate normally comes with Turkish bread but as I requested gluten free this was replaced with a small serve of fries.  The plate had a combination of a variety of meats accompanied with a hot “volcanic” stone which you cook your own meat on.

"Volcanic tasting plate" "Olives" "feta cheese" "chorizo sausage" "marinated chicken" "lamb on rosemary" "tiger prawns" "medallion of beef fillet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Claisebrook Cove" "Volcanic Grill" "Volcanic Stone Grill" "Voucher deals" "Spreets" "Grilled meat" "volcanic stone"

Volcanic tasting plate: Olives with feta cheese, chorizo sausage, marinated chicken, lamb on rosemary, tiger prawns, medallion of beef fillet

The meat was fairly average quality and without any oil to put on the stone it stuck during cooking.  This was especially a problem with the chicken which had to be scraped off making it shred a little.  We also found the heat of the stone dissipated too quickly and our last pieces of meat cooked quite slowly.  Nevertheless it was a bit of fun cooking the meat together and was a definite novelty at the dinner table.

"Mix grill" "beef fillet" "chicken tenderloin" "pork fillet" "lamb" "field mushroom" "béarnaise" "brandy peppercorn sauce""Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Claisebrook Cove" "Volcanic Grill" "Volcanic Stone Grill" "Voucher deals" "Spreets" "Grilled meat" "volcanic stone"

Mix grill: Portions of beef fillet, chicken tenderloin, pork fillet & lamb with field mushroom, béarnaise & brandy peppercorn sauce

We both chose the Mix grill for our main dish.  This dish contained single portions of beef fillet, chicken tenderloin, pork fillet & lamb with a field mushroom.   Without a voucher, this dish would normally be priced at a fairly hefty $32.90.  Not exactly value for money but I think the voucher was priced at $50 so for two mains and two desserts this makes it very good value.  This dish was brought out with the meat already placed on the stone meaning that it was cooked before the stone’s heat subsided.

"Vanilla ice cream" "frozen volcanic stone" "strawberry sauce" "chocolate chips" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Claisebrook Cove" "Volcanic Grill" "Volcanic Stone Grill" "Voucher deals" "Spreets" "Grilled meat" "volcanic stone"

Vanilla ice cream served on a frozen volcanic stone with strawberry sauce and gumy bears

There were only limited choices for dessert as some of the menu had been blacked out with texta.  We both chose the vanilla ice cream – mine with gummy bears and the Boy’s with choc chips.  I thought the gummy bears were a cute touch but with only five gummy bears placed on my cold stone I thought this was a bit stingy.  The ice cream was a little icy and tasted like the mass produced commercial stuff, no Connoisseur served here!

"Vanilla ice cream" "frozen volcanic stone" "strawberry sauce" "gummy bears" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Claisebrook Cove" "Volcanic Grill" "Volcanic Stone Grill" "Voucher deals" "Spreets" "Grilled meat" "volcanic stone"

Vanilla ice cream served on a frozen volcanic stone with strawberry sauce and chocolate chips

Overall we found our dining experience to be satisfactory.  We arrived at the restaurant assuming that if the reviews I read where anything to go by we would receive poor service, horrible food and walk away disappointed.  The reality was that although English did not appear to be the wait staff’s first language we were served promptly and without fuss.  Our food was more than edible and I like the concept of the stone for something different. If we had not arrived with a voucher deal I would have been very reluctant to pay their menu prices however thanks to the voucher it worked out to be excellent value.

This blog post was courtesy of a voucher provided by Smarter Daily Deals. It has been published as a guest post on their blog.

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Volcanic Stone Grill and Café
Shop 25, 60 Royal Street, East Perth 6004 | (08) 9221 1363
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrée $15-27, Mains $29-45: Without a voucher this place is WAY overpriced)
Food:                    5.5/10 (great novelty idea would be better with quality meat cuts)
Service:                2.5/5 (no fuss but no frills)
Ambience:           1.5/5 (fairly absent)
Drinks:                  N/A – BYO
Total:                     9.5/20
 

Volcanic Stone Grill & Cafe on Urbanspoon