Food: Swiss Culture

Food: Swiss Culture

Coincidentally, today we shall review another interesting place that I ate at somewhat recently, and interestingly, this shop was right beside the turkish cuisine shop that I reviewed at and I was happy to see that the turkish cuisine shop was doing pretty well the other time I was eating right beside it. But enough about the previous review, today we shall talk about its neighbouring shop, which is aptly named Swiss culture.

This particular type of cuisine is something really unique, cause we do not know swiss for anything besides their watches, their swiss knives and maybe swiss cheese?!?! As you can see, i am entirely clueless about what to expect from this shop. Which is why this review might be useful if you are wondering whether you should give it a try.

Shall be using the same review criteria, and those interested in the location, this is the rough location that i guessed cause my receipt for the swiss culture ain't all that clear

3 Temasek BLVD

Suntec City #03-006

Yea, i could not squeeze out the postal code number.. You will see the picture later in the review, but as far as things go, just go to Suntec City, NOT the tower with the carefour.. go to the top floor where there is a lot of these quaint looking small shops and look for the swiss culture shop. It has that red cross symbol that you always see on those swiss knifes.

Admittedly I only actually tried one dish over there so take note that this review should be taken only for that particular dish in terms of the taste. 

Food

So this is the picture of the food we ate... and not to show of, but it was taken on my new sexy galaxy nexus :D

So as you can see, this was the cheesy fondue dip that we ordered, that we felt is completely different compared to the usual western fare that we can eat in many other places. They give you this pot filled with cheese and over a burner and allows the cheesy to remain in its melted state

Then they give you this basket of bread that is unlimited supply, and you can just keep dipping in the bread into the cheese.. CAREFUL! its hot... haha which was what happened to me and the top of my mouth was actually very much cooked after this session. How did i know it was cooked, well basically the top became numb and was veryveryvery smooth. I bet if i looked at it, it should probably look like cooked beef or something. Yummy.

Basically after a while of boiling, you will start to get all these oil sploches appearing all over the place.. so if your bread happens to scoop out the oil its gonna be really really hot and painful.. So just a piece of advice if you are going to try it out.

Basically, you could also order additional beef cubes and other stuff like sausages to add to the food at about 15-20 bucks additional, but just for us, the bread and cheese was actually able to make us full.

However, at a point of time, probably after your 10th bread chunk, the taste will start getting what we call 'Ni' or i guess the english equivalent would be tiresome or boring or too monotonous. 

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was pretty ordinary, because we were sitting outside the store area in the suntec hall area, there was no accompanying music. Water was provided at no charge which is always a pretty good thing, and there was quite a bit of space when we ate there about 4 to 5 pm just before the dinner crowd.

The staff was ok, able to explain their stuff and gave important details without fuss and were prompt in their service.

Price

As can be seen, this is probably not the average range of food that you will eat, i probably consider this above average kind of pricing. I would say that i wont mind paying for the experience but it is probably not the amount i would pay for the food by itself. Either way, two persons were made pretty full at the end of this meal but i guess there was a lack of variety in the food choices. If they could find ways to incorporate some variety into that cheese fondue dish without a need of increasing the price, then there will be a good balance there.

Accessibility

Being in suntec city, there is no problems with regards to getting there. Also there should be no difficulty in finding places to sit as it seems that that level of food stalls are not usually packed to the brim. Getting there by MRT or car is extremely convenient plus the fact that it is in the city centre. Also has a lot of other places you can shop at after eating which is good to make the whole trip all time consuming and worthwhile.

Overall

Food             : 3.5 (Unique and different, a cuisine that is rarely seen in, but just lacks variety)

Atmosphere : 3 (Average atmosphere, but not particularly bad)

Price             : 2.5 (Pricey, and there are very little cheap stuff you can actually add to make the experience more diverse in terms of food. Every addition requires quite a chunk of money)

Accessibility : 4 (Suntec city is definitely a very convenient place to eat)

Overall : 3.25 (This place belongs to the try once for the experience and if there is nothing else special to do category. I guess it could also work out for the unique date plan if you like that kind of stuff. But for usual eating for a good meal at a good price, this is probably not the place for you yet.)

As usual comment if there is any and tell me if you tried it out too :)

Movies: Underworld Awakening

Movies: Underworld Awakening

INTRODUCTION


Good day to all :). I know this review came a bit late, but i actually did only see it pretty recently. For the uninformed, Underworld is a series of movies set in the same setting and as of this movie, this would be the fourth installation. Sad spoiler is that this movie is set up to be a pentalogy or even more at the rate things are going. Here is the girlie that not unlike vampires, has not seem to be aging even after 4 movies.

Here's the statement that can help you decide whether u should see this show or not. This show is not some lovey dovey dramatic love fest between some vampire and werewolf with some strange human girl stuck in between making love choices between some hunky vampire and some anorexic white sparkly vampire.

In fact, one of my friend actually told me that this movie has ugly werewolves. Well?? What did you expect?? puppy dogs??

Jacob Black's werewolf (awww so cute, wanna cuddle?)

A REAL WEREWOLF (GET THE SHOTGUN!!!)

Also, unlike twilight, THERE WILL BE BLOOD and DEATH! cause this is an action genre movie! If you followed the movies before this, one thing you will realise is that this movie is dark. Not just dark in the theme, but its really dark in general as in night and black and dim and all that. Your kinda movie if you dont like the wimperings of a emotional love torn girl.

The movie story is simple, like most of the action genre movies, pretty vampire gets caught and trapped in some facility, pretty vampire escapes with someone special, gets real angry, and comes back to destroy said facility with vengeance! Thats pretty much it, the simple storyline that gives much room for nothing more then violence and action.

Storyline


Like i said previously, this show knows its an action show and doesn't bother with making it more strong on the plotline. Not to say that this show completely has no aim, but in an hour and a half, it really just tells one very short story. In some ways, I would say that the movie is taking its time by making a 1 hour and half movie in a time where we have 3 hours long movies. So the company can charge us twice for the same length of the show.

There are also some strange issues that seems to be there only for the sake of allowing the story to be made. The very start of the movie shows the supposedly most powerful character of the first 3 movies getting owned too simply. I would say this is a pretty big plot hole and was only put in place just to give this movie a story. Perhaps they could have put more action into that scene that would allow the story to be a bit more possible.

I like the setting though, that it has turned into a 3 or 4 sided war that gives more opportunity for action as compared to the other vamp and werewolf movies out there. There was a slight twist after midway of the show that some might have expected but it was a nice twist none the less.


Character


This movie introduces another character that looks to be pretty important in the storyline of the show. What i like is that that character's actress took a role that is not glamorous.

Look at the thick black lips O.o

And her character is supposed to be inherently ugly at certain points of the show... that i shall not put here so that at least you have a reason to see the show.

Sadly, the character that i wanted to see to participate majorly in the show didn't appear. Some other supporting characters were introduced but on the whole, were just merely characters to help the story along.
The show didn't spend much time developing the characters of the show including even the newer ones that merely appeared out of the blue for this show and might reoccur in the next installment.


Cinematography


In general, for an action film, the cinematography would be considered average or just above average. They could have put in more slow motions or perspective shots to add more entertainment value to the action. Compared to the underworld movies that came before this one, at least the action was slightly easier to follow as it was not as dark as i remember.


Music


Music was not anything to be surprised at, cannot really recall if anything did strike out to me as being particularly unique about the music aspect in this show. Nonetheless at least there was no funny hindrances from the music.


Spectacle


For an action show, this show tries hard, and on a whole it fulfills the basic expectation of most action viewers. However, there was really much opportunity to do much more with the action and it did have the potential which i would say was wasted.

Having 3 movies prior to this also didn't help as much as the action could actually be comparable from the first movie to this one. Which means that there was hardly any vast improvements made. The only thing that would be attractive in this show is that this show represents a important turning point in the movie plotline that would lead up to the next movie.


Overall
Storyline               : 3.5 (Story was really simple and did not develop much. 0.5 more would be for the twist in the show, which appreciates the effort they made at least)
Character              : 3.0 (No big developments, fine actors and actresses)
Cinematography   : 3.5 (Had a few action scenes, but really could have been done better)
Music                    : 3.0 (Nothing unique)
Spectacle               : 3.5 (Tried to emphasize on action, but in some way there could have been a tad bit more of action. This series really has a lot of potential for good action that i see wasted)


Overall                  : 3.3 (Its a ok show for those who wanna follow the movie AND like action. For those who just wanna see some action, if you have average expectation this show will still entertain. But this is still no 300 or immortals though. However, for the vampire and werewolf movie lovers, if you wanna see some real fighting, for now this is as close as you can get for a movie.)


Thats all for this review, as usual comment if you have any :)

Movies: Chronicles

Movies: Chronicles

INTRODUCTION

Hi all again, it has been quite some time since I did a review because i didnt have the time to catch movies for a bit. But now I am back again with another review of a show that just came out pretty recently, a confusingly named show called Chronicles!

Its not the chronicles of riddick, neither is it the chronicles of narnia or some show about the bible, but rather this show tries to chronicle this fella or 3 people actually, into a life of how they become from someone ordinary, to extraordinary.

Heres the movie poster to brighten up the blog a bit

As you can see, its three very unassuming ordinary boys or guys that have nothing that particularly stands out besides the fact that one of them is black. (Just stating, not to be racist)

For a show that lacks any fanfare as well as big names, i guess it will be good to tell you guys that this show falls under the category of thriller, with minimal action (There still is some) and to some extent drama. The filming style also follows that of perspective, i.e the show tries to express its storyline via carried cameras abiet like cloverfield. As for the effect of this method on the show itself, continue reading to find out more.

Storyline


I for one feel that the storyline is pretty normal, but the way it is told adds a bit more immersion. Also this movie does not try to create a happy ending like all super powered mutant kinda show, as it strives to give a more realistic view of what could happen if an ordinary person or 3 of them actually, gets superpowers and provides one plausible outcome.

However, due to the story telling nature of the show, it really takes its time to build up towards the climax and does very ordinary things that would hardly be considered entertaining, but necessary for immersion sake.


Character


This whole story is actually focussed on character development. The choice of the 3 character types and their behavior and traits are fine, although it could be more fun should they try to differentiate the two other characters more from the main character dude. Hence in some way, the two other character feel that they might be lacking in some development which would have added to the immersion value and entertainment.

Also there is a seemingly random addition of a girl that seems to just be for the sake of meeting some quota that a show must have a female presence. Her addition to the show doesn't seem to add much to the value of the show.


Cinematography


The filming style of this show serves its purpose well. Also it on-ups the other shows by actually incorporating the camera's and the ability of the main character to give some pretty interesting angles that add to the immersive value of the show. Interestingly, the action sequence when it comes, is actually pretty interestingly done and very impactful. Pity there was a bit too little of action throughout the show or it could actually appeal to the action loving crowd more.

Music


Music is non existent, but sound effects are pretty loud and impactful. This is probably a good move for a show filmed and shown using the perspective method as you don't expect to hear music in your own life as you go around your daily business anyway.

Spectacle


As far as what i believe the show is trying to express, i.e. a perspective of what would happen when a person gets super powers, from beginning to end. I would have to say it does a pretty good job actually in bringing that across in a more immersive then usual manner. This show is about telling a story, and with that aspect, it is kinda hard to go wrong.

Overall


Storyline               : 3.5 (Usually ordinary story with a more unique twist at the back)
Character             : 3.5 (Develops its main characters fine, but could be even better)
Cinematography   : 4.0 (Special style of story telling that suits the aim of the show)
Music                    : 3.0 (Probably non-existent, but having music will in fact harm the style)
Spectacle              : 4.0 (Does what it wanted to do fine, can always be better)


Overall                : 3.6 (Overall, this show will entertain people who enjoy immersive drama with the plotline being specifically about how a person gets his power and develops it. However, its not an action movie and thus action fans will not like it. I would say that the audience that this show might attract is really tiny and if you are not someone who loves story telling with special powers, it will be hard to enjoy it.)


Any comments please feel free to add em. Plus if there is anything else that you feel i could review :)