Zeng Fu Cai

"Steamboat" or "hotpot" is a popular Chinese cuisine in Singapore. Zheng Fu Cai at 100 Beach Road, #01-41 Shaw Tower, claims to serve authentic Chongqing hotpot. This was our first visit and it did not disappoint.

Although we don't exactly fancy steamboat, the restaurant's comfortable air-conditioned and clean environment was a draw. The huge sign at its door that says "all-you-can-eat at only S$17.80 per pax" was enough to tempt you as you walk past the restaurant in a humid and busy day. Choices were varied and quality was good compared to many other similar "steamboat" eateries around the beach road areas. The place serves three types of soups - herbal broth, spicy broth and chicken broth. Herbal broth and chicken broth filled each side of our pot. We ate to our hearts content that evening.

Shutters Restaurant

Shutters at Amara Santuary Resort, Sentosa, serves fusion food, in a modern resort setting, much like everything else in the resort. This was where we had all our 3-course lunches during the 3-day management retreat. Servings came in tiny portions that left our stomachs yearning for more food after each meal. Main course was either fish or chicken, for every meal. I had fish, fish and chicken in that order.

On the first day, appetizer consisted of one (yes, one) pan-seared scallop served with chinese-style garlic and onion sauce, one oyster tempura, and preserved papaya, served on a rectangular porcelain tile.

Put simply, it was simple food decorated elaborately. Can't fool a gourmet like me, though. I was hardly impressed. I had cod fish for my main course. Apart from its freshness, there was nothing special about the chinese-style fermented bean sauce that came with it. Lunch on the second day was equally dismal. The snapper tasted healthy, but the creamy mushroom sauce was such a mismatch.

Appetizer was miserably simple, with just one prawn in tartar sauce served in a small piece of lettuce, accompanied by a sweet serving of cooked raspberry. Chocolate mouse cake as dessert was far too easy. Nothing to shout about.