Crosta Pizza: a great alternative to the typical hut

Intro:

So I recently received a brochure in my mailbox and seeing that it was for a recently opened pizza shop and that it claimed to be Authentic Wood Fired Pizza, I immediately jumped at the opportunity of making another blog post.

So, I ordered my pizza and was informed of a one and a half hour wait due to bad weather which I gladly accepted.  However, the delivery actually exceeded the estimated time by a whole hour.  I had even called twice to check on the status and both times had to call back again to confirm despite the store promising to check with their driver and get back to me.  This was quite an infuriating experience and was only made worse by the fact that the pizza arrived dead cold.  I will not factor in their punctuality for the review (Anyways I put the pizzas in my oven to heat them up again). However, I would like readers to take note of this occurrence in case they need an order urgently.  Hopefully, this was only a one time mishap on their part and that their punctuality can improve or prove to be decent.  

[On that note, if you do try to order from them and end up with a punctual or late service, do share in the comments below so that we can all have a better judgement of their service. :) ]  

Quality and Taste:

I ordered two pizzas with their opening 1 for 1 special.  

My first choice was their signature, La Crosta Pizza which came garnished with very fresh and sticky mozzarella, crunchy and juicy tomato slices, fluffy ricotta cheese and deliciously slimy and smoky fried eggplants.  

Simple box design feels just right

In case I'm being too subtle, the ingredients used are top notch. They are fresh and very tasteful.  These are brought together by a mild tomato based sauce and a wonderfully light crust.  Here, a good amount of effort is clearly put into kneading the dough as the thickness of the pizza remains relatively even throughout and its texture is both resilient yet also softly crunchy to the bite.  An unmistakable smoky aroma also imposes itself with each bite and taking a slight whiff of the pizza quickly testifies its origins as Authentically Wood Fire baked. 

A good spread of fresh ingredients

Fluffy and creamy cheese!

The other pizza I had ordered was their Naples Pizza which essentially is a traditional anchovies pizza.  Quite a few people I know seem to hate anchovy pizzas for their overly salty and strong, (some might call pungent?) flavor.  I for one really like them and crave to find that perfect anchovy pizza. 

Whole anchovies for whole goodness

Here again, the ingredients used by Crosta Pizza were of very good quality.  However, this specific pizza scores slightly lower than their La Crosta Pizza as even someone who enjoy anchovy pizzas for their strong flavor, found this Crosta Pizza's variation to be a little too salty.  The overall seasonings and toppings were quite well balanced, with a good blend of capers, olives and olive oil, but a little more tomato sauce and garlic and slightly less olive oil might have helped to tone down the overly strong flavor of the pizza.

Overall though, it is still a great tasting pizza which anchovy lovers will want to try. 

Value:

The value here is quite good. Crosta Pizza charges a standard 22 dollars for all their pizzas which is just slightly lower than some of its closer competitors like "Spizza".  However, taking into consideration that mediocre, big brand name pizzas charge around the same price for electric oven pizzas and you will realize that the value here is actually quite good.  The use of high quality ingredients and cheese also help to justify the asking price. 

There is a 5 dollar delivery charge for orders below 50 dollars. I find this quite acceptable. 

Conclusion:
Crosta Pizza is a welcome addition to the Traditional Wood Fired Pizza scene in Singapore.  This is a style of pizza that deserves more attention in the deliver to your doorstep pizza scene and Crosta Pizza's use of quality ingredients does justice to traditional, real Italian pizzas. 

If you consider yourself a pizza lover or are sick and tired of the same old mediocre chain stores serving standardized recipe pizzas, you will surely enjoy one of Crota Pizza's pizzas. Bon Appetit!

FOODIE’S RATING
Quality & Taste(80%)	7.5	No doubt that this is traditional pizza. Quality ingredients and a bona fide wood oven makes for great pizza.
Value (20%)	7.5	value is definitely above average
Ambience & others (0%)	-
Total	7.5	A welcome entry to the Traditional Pizza scene

Delivery Operating Hours:

Mon-Fri 1130 to 1430 & 1800 to 2230

Sat-Sun & Holidays: 1130 to 2230

Number: 62955505

Website:  http://crostapizza.sg/?route=product/category&path=70

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crostapizzadelivery?id=484202925030425&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcrostapizza+delivery

Triple O's @ Orchard Towers: McKiller (Closed)

Intro:
Lets talk burgers.  Many of us, myself included, probably identify this food with the image of a McSpicy, BigMac or even the Whopper . No doubt, these are yummy-licious in their own way, but there's just something rather unromantic and unrefined about eating these "fresh" off-the-production-line, chemical filled and re-heated upon order burgers.  Sure, there are many restaurants out there that serve different burgers, but nothing in singapore quite captured the essence of an actual, unique burger joint for me.  That is until we tried Triple Os, and for anyone who wants to skip the details, let me just sum it up for you right now: IT'S REALLY GOOD.

Trust me, the signboard is telling the truth.

Ambience:

I quite like the layout at Triple Os, its simple, comfortable and cosy. 

Take a look:

A small, comfortable place to dine.

The place is also decorated with interesting trivia about the shop, including their history and Burger descriptions.  It certainly helps you to appreciate the delicious burger in your hands more. 

I'm trying the giant triple cheese burger next. what about you guys?

Generally, the place is designed like a western styled Diner and feels authentic in that sense. Even the music they play is uniquely Diner like.  Rather than playing whatever pop music is now in trend, the shop played soothing country music which really added to the dining experience.  You're freed from all the loud beats and pleasantly distracting rhythm of modern music and treated to a mix of calming tunes while you enjoy your burger.

Food and Value:

I ordered the Buffalo chicken club ($9.90), added an order of sweet potato fries($2.90) and washed them down with a cup of chocolate milkshake ($7.50)

Looks neat now, but things are about to get messy.

The burger, like all the other burgers here, were a little bit on the expensive side but you do get your money's worth in it's incredible taste.  The burger is centered with a tender and crispy fried chicken which bursts with great fragrance and flavour on every bite.  On top of it was a slice of cheese which looked scrumptious and two slices of bacon; and below was a serving of crisp, fresh lettuce.  What brings all these ingredients together were the ranch sauce and the secret Triple O sauce which had a light-barbecue-resque flavour, cushioned by two lightly grilled buns which were soft and fluffy but not brittle.

Just look at the cheese...INCREDIBLE

The Sweet potato fries were quite unique and the chipotle sauce that came with it had a mixed flavour that was terrifically messy.  It had a thick, jalapeno spice flavour that is quite hard to describe with words; all I know is that, Mark, who ordered normal fries that did not come with the sauce kept stealing dips out of mine and so did another friend we went there with.  That right there is prove of the sauce's power.  However, the fries alone were not too impressive and there are certainly better sweet potato fries out there. 

The highlight here is really the chipotle sauce

Last of all, the chocolate milkshake was really nothing special despite the decent quality of the ice-cream used.  Considering the heavy price tag of $7.50 and its average size, it may be better to stick with the standard soft drink. 

Pretty standard milkshake its thick but not especially so.

Conclusion:

There's really not much to say here except to reiterate that the burgers here are simply delicious.  Although the fries and milkshake are mediocre at best, the stars of the show here are the burgers anyways.  So do yourself a favor and give it a shot if you're getting tired of the same old burgers from fast food places.  I strongly recommend this place to all foodies and burger lovers, you won't regret it.

FOODIE’S RATING
Quality & Taste(75%)	8.0	Seriously, go try it. It’s really quite good.
Value (15%)	7.0	A bit on the expensive side. Burger was well worth the cost but the sides not so much.
Ambience & others (10%)	7.5	Calm and enjoyable atmosphere that’s good for really enjoying your meal.
Total	7.8	Really good burger.  An underdog deserving of your attention.

Address:
-Orchard Towers, #01-29C
(Mon-Thurs & Sun 1130-2300 Fri-Sat & Eve of Public Holidays 1130-0200)

 Also available:
-1 Vista Exchange Green, Star Vista Mall, #01-22, 400 Orchard Road
(Mon-Sun: 1000-2130)
 -Asia Square Tower, 8 Marina View, #02-14
(Mon-Fri 0800-2100)

New York Grand Kitchen: authencity at good value (Closed)

Intro:

A new review at last....

Anyways, this time we went to New York Grand Kitchen, a relatively new shop that has opened up along the shop lanes around the fountain of wealth at Suntec City. And as you can probably tell by the title of this post, the eatery was an especially good overall package.

Even the sign is Grand

Ambience:

The first thing you'll notice about New York Grand is its beautifully minimalist and chic theme. With a clean-cut color scheme and simplistic design, the restaurant more than successfully creates the upper-middle class like deli-restaurant feel that was common in 90's New York. Even the staff don fashion which speak of such chic classiness. Overall, the layout is classy but also very welcoming, a good atmosphere with music softly blended in that should be enjoyable for family and friend groups alike.

Simple but eye catching decors

minimalist lighting design that blends nicely into the ceiling

Taste, Quality & value:

I ordered the rotisserie chicken and pork chop with cranberry sauce, which in line with their minimalist theme was presented cleanly on a rectangular board.

All their meals come with a free all you can eat deli bar, so I'll begin the review with those. Basically, for a free throw in, the deli bar was surprisingly good. The food offered very basic flavors that were brought out with light seasoning to a truly American style. Each of the dishes were truly appetizers, with their light flavors helping to work up my palate and appetite for the main course. Generally, it was acceptably well done. It helps too that they have nacho and dips. Yummy.

A good variety at the deli section

The Manhattan clam chowder was pretty good

Perfection-unlimited nachos and dip!!!

My appetizer before the course

The main course falls a bit short of expectations. The pork chop was generally tasteful and succulent but had an obvious lack of freshness with a tendency to leave a subtle smell behind.The chicken too was not especially fresh and one could taste the impurity of water in the meat, left over from defrosting.

Whilst the chicken was well roasted, with the skin being deliciously juicy and fragrant to chew, the lack of marination resulted in a very dry and flavorless meat as most of the taste had been cooked out of the chicken and onto its skin. This would not have been as bad if the sauce were properly done. The Cranberry sauce was surprisingly blend and felt like a really cheap but fresh serving of homemade jam. It was also cold instead of warm or at room temperature which felt like a weird mix with the warm chicken. Generally, the chicken was not too bad but not too good either. To give a relative comparison, its a little like the chicken from Kenny Rogers, but without the power of a herb-filled marinate to boost its flavors ever so slightly.

The exposed meat looks dry even in the picture but the skin is glistening with tastiness

Considering the generous portions and all you can eat deli with pretty good dishes, a price tag of $19.00 for what I ordered, or $17.00 for a half chicken set is pretty decent. Add in the inviting ambience and satisfying service and you have a pretty good bargain. Value is no doubt the biggest advantage of this restaurant and makes it a destination to note for frequent visits with groups.

Conclusion:

New York Grand, while delivering well on its design and concept and execution, falls slightly short on what matters the most, its main courses. With only slightly above mediocre main courses, this place may not be for the die-hard food critics or more particular diners. However, great value paired with pretty good deli-bar makes it a good choice for groups and casual foodies alike; and if you fall within this category like we do, the place is very much worth your attention. Give it a try, its unlikely that you'll be disappointed.

Have you eaten here before? What was your experience like? We're interested -do share with us in the comments below!

FOODIE’S RATING
Quality, Taste and Presentation (75%)	7.2	Good food in general but overall score suffers from the weak-flavored chicken
Value (15%)	8.0	Great value considering the complimentary buffet deli's quality spread
Ambience & others (10%)	7.5	Comfortable ambience that should sit well with most
Total	~7.4	Good dining experience that is well worth trying

Address:
#B1-133 #B1-172, Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard

Opening hours:

10:00-22:00 daily

CHILI'S Grill and Bar (The Central): Not as hot as its name may suggest

Intro:

For our latest review, we decided to head over to Chili's Grill and Bar outlet at The Central. The restaurant chain is a Tex-Mex styled franchise originating from the States. To that end, the outlet in Singapore does manage to reproduce the homely and hospitable feeling of mid-Western restaurants. This leads me nicely to our first criteria.

Ambience:

Upon entering the restaurant, you are greeted by friendly staff and a cozy, warm ambience which somehow manages to uphold a lively presence at the same time. A bunch of flat-screen televisions are spread throughout the place, playing programs which are distinctly American such as baseball and basketball matches. These, and the lively music, are good distractions when you await the arrival of your food (they arrived decently fast) and when you are enjoying your meal. Neither sources of sound are too loud and do not intrude on your conversations.

Quality and taste:

Unfortunately, Mark was feeling a little full this time around and only ordered the appetizer sampler (Triple dipper-$26.00) which allows up to three appetizers of ones choice. The appetizers chosen were Texas Cheese poppers, chicken crispers and southwestern egg rolls.

Before I go into my own assessment, here's what Mark had to say about the cheese poppers which I did not try, "Its a throbbing mouth orgasm." BAM! There we go, the reviewly fix of Mark's 'patented' quirky commentaries :D

Those guys on the top left, yep those are the orgasm inducing balls ;)

Personally, having tried them myself at the tanglin outlet before, I'd have to agree. The cheese poppers are full of flavour, but that's the thing, it's just flavour, not flavours, which makes it rather unsophisticated. It's basically just a mix of different cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) fried into a ball. For cheese lovers like myself, it's great, but taken critically as a foodie, it's mostly just cheese done right.

The egg rolls on the other hand had a mixture of ingredients, capsicums, onions, beans and the like. It was pretty good but could have been better controlled. The deep-fry paired with the dominance of black beans resulted in a mostly salty flavour. This is compensated though by its semi-thick and tasteful skin which packs a greasy-sweet and chewy flavour.

Pretty good. Could have been better

The chicken crispers were not so good. It's very reliant on the concept of tasting the original flavour as with most U.S-styled cooking, but the frozen chicken that's most probably used is unsuccessful in providing that. Instead you get a bland, mostly oil-tasting dish.

For my main dish, I ordered a classic fajita combo. That was the first time I was eating fajitas so I didn't really know what to expect. What I experienced was pretty good, but nothing too great. The dish came with chicken and beef strips that had been grilled and placed on the serving hot-plate. They are accompanied by capsicums, onions and a dash of pepper for seasoning. There was a side plate with sour-cream, guacamole dip, cheese gratings and the like to add to the mix.  These are then placed by your own choice of ratio onto a flour tortilla (they provided 4).

Well-grilled. Brown but not charred

Pretty generous portions for the side condiments

Overall, the meat involved does fulfill the American-styled cooking approach. A minimalist touch of only onions, capsicums and pepper helps to bring out the natural flavours of the chicken and beef. The beef in particular was quite juicy and sufficiently tender. The chicken suffers a little in terms of juiciness and again was not too fresh but that is not too noticeable when it's mixed in with all the condiments within the flour wrap. Having said that, both meats are nothing to be overly excited about. None had the melt-in-your mouth, blissful-taste-of-happiness variants of quality meat and at a price of $29.00, you should be expecting fresher meats of better quality. That's not to say that they were not well prepared -in fact, the grilling was quite well controlled at a medium cook, but what you ultimately have here are slightly above average meats which are just presented nicely. That's the problem. If you're going to place your bets on the natural flavours of the meat, good quality meat is a must, lest the dish falls short on taste.

After this step you just roll it up into a tortilla

Value:

In terms of value, Chili's fares quite badly. As mentioned, the food was not too bad, but the primary ingredients' mere average quality fails to match up to the menu's high price point. In the end, you feel like you're forking out money more so for the American fare and free-to-watch TVs than the dishes themselves. I should mention though that there isn't a service charge so I guess you could choose to not give tips to cut on your spending if you so wish to.

Conclusion:

Chili's is more of a hype. For foodies and most other people, its good for going once or twice just to experience American-styled dining, but it probably won't be on your frequent visits list due to its high price points. Its also generally better for groups of friends and family dining cases where the main concern is an ambient environment for chatting and not so much the quality of the food.

Have you eaten here before? What was your experience like? We're interested -do share with us in the comments below!

FOODIE’S RATING
Quality & Taste(75%)	7.0	Decent food that suffers from mediocre quality ingredients
Value (15%)	5.5	Pricing needs some serious reconsideration
Ambience & others (10%)	8.5	Ambience is a win. Plenty of themed decorations and cozy layout
Total	6.9	No harm in trying it.

Address:
#01-18, The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street

Operating Hours:
Sun - Thu: 11:30 - 23:00
Fri - Sat: 11:30 - 00:00