Saturday, April 23, 2011

Birthday Treat (Pizza, Steak, Pasta, Chicken, Fish, Hot-Pan) @ Lenas (Serangoon Nex Mall) by Ministry of Food (MOF)

Like many Singaporeans, i joined the massive crowd descending on the latest shopping centre in Singapore a few months ago; the Nex Mall right on top of Serangoon MRT station.

The crowd was giving me a big headache then although i did manage to aim a few restaurants that seemed to be worth a visit in the future when the craze subsides. Lenas (Steak-Pizza-Pasta-Ice Cream-Beer-Wine) was one of the targets.

Well, the galore of saliva-inducing food pictures on the menu placed right outside was just too tempting! In fact, i had to control myself back then from stepping into the makan establishment.

Fast forward a few months later to today. My siblings and brother in law decided to treat Alex and I for a birthday meal in Lenas! Thank you thank you thank you! A free meal is always warmly welcome! :)

Shrimps Bruschetta
Never a fan of finger appetisers, i though this was not as bad as i expected it to be. The mediocre grilled bread was helped greatly by the cold creamy-sweet mayonnaise, fresh prawns and sourish tomatoes bits!

Smoked Duck Salad
It should not come as a surprise that salads are not my cup of tea either! I was rolling my eyes when my mom said she wanted a salad!

Thankfully, the smoked duck complemented very well with vegetables although i stand corrected that paying so much for vegetables (when you can jolly well DIY your salad at home) is just illogical.

Grilled Beef Patty Set
An additional S$5 for the set that came with pilat rice and salad (thought a soup was supposed to be included but i did not see it); i did not get to touch this! The next moment my eyes laid on it, the hot plate was empty!

12" Pizza (Italian Sausage and Mushroom Lover)
Add S$2.50 and you can have two flavours for a 12 inches pizza. Definitely desirable for variety lovers like myself. And it helps to spread the risk!

A thin crust that is well liked by many carbohydrates-hostile individuals and people who would like to save the carbos for other stuff. I belong to the latter. Ingredients wise, i don't really like this two-in-one pizza although i need to point out that the others begged to differ.

Personally, i felt that the cheese was insufficient and the flour taste was too overpowering! Like what i mentioned, the other family members enjoyed it!

Bacon and Onion Pasta
Given my great affection with onions, it should not as a surprise that i was quite impressed with this pasta. The sauce was not overly infused with tomatoes and yet maintained a gentle sweetness to it. If only the spaghetti was softer.

Grilled Salmon
Most of you might be familiar with the two free sides when you order a main course in Aston's Specialties. Over here in Lenas, you have to pay extra! And the management is so kind to give you options; you can choose not to have any sides. Damn sweet of them.

Mom (she's the only person in the family who will always order salmon or cod) asked for one side; the sweet corn. Not as chewy as the corn cobs in Aston's, it was overall still okay.

No complains as well on the grilled salmon. Maybe a bit dry but most importantly, it was devoid of any unwanted fishiness.

Breaded Dory with Two Sides
A huge chunk of fried fish that did not have a lasting impression on the fish and chips guru; Alex Chiu. For those who know him well, he professes to be an expert on fish and chips and fried rice! Kon and I seriously have doubts on his self expressed credentials! Haha.

Much as i am unwilling to pay for sides that should be free in the first place, i have to admit that the sides in Lenas are really generous in their servings. The whipped potato was easily three scoops!

Grilled Spicy Chicken
A comparison has to be made with the Chicken Cacciatore from F.I.S.H since it looked similar! It was not as succulent and tasty but the expert grilling gave a smoky flavour that my taste buds totally agreed with.

Mushroom and Ham in Egg Sauce
Another hot plate item; the order taker noted the wrong item!! I ordered mushroom in egg sauce! God knows where the word ham comes into picture! Anyway, i generally avoid conflicts and candidly accepted this.

Three of my favorite items in this hot plate! Eggs, mushrooms and onions!! Totally delicious even though i could easily get a comparable item in a typical tze char stall at maybe half the price.

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Despite the positive reviews on hungrygowhere.com, i would likely not order any main dish the next time i am in Lenas. Desserts are however a different story. Another entry on desserts would be posted in due course!

Location
23, Serangoon Central,
#02-01, Serangoon Nex

Price
Shrimps Bruschetta - S$9.80
Smoked Duck Salad - S$10.90
Grilled Beef Patty Set - S$12.80
12" Pizza (Italian Sausage and Mushroom Lover) - S$20
Bacon and Onion Pasta - S$13.50
Grilled Salmon with One Side - S$17
Breaded Dory with Two Sides - S$15.50
Grilled Spicy Chicken - S$11.00
Mushroom and Ham in Egg Sauce - S$13.80

Subject to GST and Service Charge.

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