Nefertiti Restaurant & Cafe

No we're not here to give you a history lesson about Ancient Egypt (although it's pretty interesting) but we are here to fill you in (and fill you up) about the great food that can be found at Nefertiti Restaurant. And in case you were wondering, Nefertiti was an Egyptian Queen :)

So this restaurant is in the heart of one of our favourite makan areas - Arab Street.
In fact, it's been there for quite awhile and has been serving up some pretty awesome food!

They specialize in Egyptian and Mediterranean food so let's run through what we had.

Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter ($19.50)

The problem with us is that we love to eat and that means as many types of food as we can. So we normally end up trying any sort of platter there might be and if anything is extra special, we'd probably order up and extra serving of it LOL

The Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter is a great place to start here. Gives us a good chance to sample some of the flavours offered up at Nefertiti and gets our tastebuds in tune for the main course to come. So let's run down what we have in this platter shall we? Let's go clockwise!

Vine Leaves

These are actual Vine Leaves and they are stuffed with some rice which has been seasoned.
Most people will tell you that the leaves are a little bitter but it's not that bad. In fact, if you take a bite, you'll get more of a tart and sourish taste which is excellent to get your tastebuds going!

Mirza Gasemi

Mirza Gasemi is actually eggplant with some tomatoes, garlic and some other spices to make up this delicious concoction. When we have eggplant it's normally Baba Ganoush so this was a welcome surprise!

Hummus

Here's something pretty standard and in fact one of our faves ever. We could go through a whole tub of Hummus no jokes I tell you.

Chickpea puree with Tahini (Sesame Seed Puree), Garlic, Lemon juice and Olive Oil is a sure winner in our books! If you want a bigger serving, try the Hummus Bil Laham ($12.00) which also comes with lamb!!

Hummus Bngar

This is actually Hummus (Chickpea and Sesame Seed puree) with some beetroot added in.
That's what gives it a bright pinkish/purplish hue. This also gives it a little bit more of a sharp edge but still delicious nonetheless. Scoop it all up with the pita bread that comes along!

By the way, in that picture (and a few others too!) is another item on the platter- Falafel!
Those little cutlets are made up of chickpea, onions, garlic and some other goodies before being deep fried!

Moutabel

This is also an eggplant based dish. Kinda like the Mirza Gasemi but without so many spices we guess. This one has Tahini and lemon juice added in instead for a milder flavour.

Labneh

Fattoush

Labneh is actually strained yoghurt with a hint of mint and garlic. I didn't really get the mint nor the garlic but yoghurt is always welcome on my plate. Yoghurt and Arab/Middle Eastern food always goes together am I right?

The Fattoush is salad more than anything else. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber with some tasty dressing plus some toasty pita bits makes for a great salad!

Are you with us so far? That was just the appetizer platter mind you. Let's start with the mains!

Mix Grill Platter ($33.00)

If you're a meat eater like us, then this is the one for you!
We're talking about a whole lot of meat to chomp down on and definitely fill you up!!

You get a nice serving of this super fragrant rice which goes so well with the meat platter. Top it off with some light onion and lettuce salad and it's a winner!

And a special mention for the condiments! That's no ordinary sambal and mayonaise!
Try it and you will see why we say it's really special!

So besides the rice, you are definitely gonna enjoy the meat on offer too.
You've got Kofat Lamb, Kofta Chicken, Shish Taouk (Chicken) and Shish Kebab (Beef) and boy oh boy were the all good!

The Koftas were superb I tell you. Even if I were not a meat-lover, I'd still tell you to try this because it's that good! Tasty and seasoned really well. And the meat was still so moist and not at all dry like some place where I've had Kofta before.

There's also a piece of lamb chop for you to dig into. Cooked to perfection. Just cut into it when you order and you'll see what we mean. If you love Lamb Chops then you should get the Lamb Chops dish (coming up in awhile)

But to me personally the winner on this platter were the kebabs and specifically the Shish Kebab which is the beef kebab. The first bite I took of the Shish Kebab and I literally went "Wow". We all know how tough and dry beef can get if it's not cooked properly and it's so easy to overcook especially when you grill it.

Executive Chef Amr Elgohary comes all the way from Egypt with over a decade of experience so it's little wonder that the food is so good!

Lamb Chops ($22.00)

As we have mentioned, the Lamb Chops are superb!
If one small chop on the platter is not enough then you should go for the full monty and satisfy your meat cravings. Plenty of lamb here!

You can also choose from BBQ, Black Pepper or Brown Sauce but as you can see from the picture, we went without any of that and the Lamb Chops were still excellent. Truly the mark of a good dish!
I guess this is a combination of a good chef plus quality ingredients!

But one thing that surprised us is that the menu had more than just your typical Egyptian / Middle Eastern fare. You can find other cuisines with dishes like Fish and Chips, Fajitas and even Pizzas and Pastas on the menu!

Executive Chef Amr Elgohary explained that they wanted to give diners the option to have some alternatives just in case but they still make the dishes really well! But if you wanna stick to the theme, then you also have other dishes like Wraps, Kebabs, Mandi Rice, Assorted Grilled Meats and even desserts like Baklava.

Turkish Coffee ($5.50)

Or you could just wash down your meal with a Turkish Coffee.
This is Espresso-style by the way so expect it to be really strong!!

Adam's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 4/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 4.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 3.5/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 3.5/5 -- Lamb Chops 3.5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Nefertiti Mixed Mezza Platter 4/5 -- Mix Grill Platter 4/5

In the end, I know you might say that there are plenty of makan places in the Arab Street area that serve the same type of food and yeah that's true but I think it's the small details that make the difference.

If you have not yet tried Nefertiti Restaurant, then have a go and you'll see what we mean.

Nefertiti Restaurant & Cafe

No 47 Arab Street

www.nefertiti.com.sg
www.facebook.com/nefertiti.restaurant
Tel: 6294 1135

Operating Hours:
12.00pm til 11.30pm Monday til Thursday
12.00pm til 2.00am Fridays and Saturdays
12.00pm til 11.30pm  Sundays

Gofre

So we chanced upon this place while we were actually next door buying some kain and baju.
It's a good thing I stepped out for a breather and happened to notice it because it wasn't there the last time I visited (whch to be fair was quite long ago).

So it's a place called Gofre.
And I'm not 100% sure but my research tells me that Gofre loosely translates to 'Waffle'.
Which happens to be one of the specialties here.

And when you have waffles, you're almost definitely going to have Ice-Cream.

Triple Chocolate ($5.90 double scoop)

Just a simple cup of ice-cream with no additional topping and it was more than satisfying!
Sometimes, something simple is enough!

The Triple Chocolate really lived up to its name with a rich chocolate flavour and laced with chocolate chips.
You chocolate lovers will really enjoy this. You can even chocolatify (is that a real word?) it further by adding on some chocolate toppings!

But if you're looking for something other than Chocolate, they also have French Vanilla, Minty Chocolate Chips, Coconut, Salted Caramel, Macadamia Caramel and my personal favourite - Strawberry.

A check with the person serving us the ice-cream and we found out that the ice-cream is handmade but not on location. They actually purchase the ice-cream from a local source which means it's fresh and guaranteed to be a good quality.

Waffle Pops ($6.50)

So my darling wife and I were almost going to try the signature offering there which was the Gofre (waffle) but we decided to try something a little different that caught our attention.

So Waffle Pops are basically little balls made out of the waffle batter.
You can choose from either the normal waffle batter or the Pandan flavoured one. We chose the latter.
And please do not be fooled. These are not your average Pandan Dough Balls.

This the real deal with a really thick one for you to chomp down on.
Nice and dense and it doesn't get too soggy from soaking up all the ice-cream. Nice Pandan flavour too!

So you have Pandan Waffle Balls with ice-cream and some toppings.
We chose to add on some White Chocolate Chips and Blueberries to give it a nice sweet and tart finish.
You could also choose from other toppings like Mixed Nuts, Fruity Pebbles, Banana Nut Crunch, Love Letters, Cocoa Crunch or Rainbow Sprinkles.

And let me tell you - the Strawberry Ice-Cream is delicious!!
It's not overly sweet and just tart enough that you can tell that whoever made the ice-cream use real fruits.

Adam's Verdict:
Triple Chocolate Ice-Cream 4/5 -- Waffle Pops with Strawberry Ice-Cream 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Triple Chocolate Ice-Cream 4.5/5 -- Waffle Pops with Strawberry Ice-Cream 4.5/5

It's a pretty small place and easy to miss but if you're in the area and you want a sweet treat (they also have coffee and other beverages like Sodas), look around the corner of Zam-Zam Restaurant and you'll find this little gem.

I'm not sure if they rotate or change their ice-cream flavours and toppings but hopefully they do so that we have more variety to choose from! Here's to more Gofre soon!!

Gofre

118 Arab Street

www.facebook.com/GofreSingapore
Tel: 9662 1187

Operating Hours:
1.00pm til 9.00pm Mondays - Thursdays
2.00pm til 10.00pm Fridays - Sundays

Cafe Le Caire

First of all, let me apologize for the quality of the photographs.
We used an actual camera but the dining area was very very very dimly lit so the shots turned out a little dark/blur in the end.

If someone were to say Cafe Le Caire, probably a handful of people would say they knew the place. But if I was to say Al-Majlis, I'm guessing more people would recognize the name. To be honest, I'm one of those people who didn't really take note of the actual name of the restaurant when I last visited.

Cafe Le Caire has been around since 2001 and is one of the more popular hangout joints in the Arab Street area. It labels itself as a cafe but it's more like a full-fledged restaurant. Lots of people visit to get a hearty meal and hangout with friends while smoking some shisha.

I've visited a few times in the past and figured it was finally time to feature it because it's definitely still one of the most popular hangout spots.

Hummus Bil Laham ($6.80)

Here at The Halal Food Blog, we love our Hummus to come with some meat. One of the best Hummus we've ever had was the Hummus with Minced Beef from Anar. In fact, we loved it so much that it's our profile pic on our FB page!

Here at Cafe Le Caire, you can have your Hummus with some pieces of grilled lamb.
The Hummus was creamy and quite tasty but unfortunately it was a little dry. Would have been nice to have more olive oil served with it I guess.

I think one of the biggest letdowns was that the roasted lamb was actually cold. It would have been nice if they had at least heated it up a little bit... But that being said, I have to say that the lamb was very very tender. I quite enjoyed it but would definitely have enjoyed it even more if it had been warmed up.

Mushroom Platter ($12.00)

Oh you all know I love mushrooms. And since I'm so greedy I went and ordered a 2nd appetizer! :P

The Mushroom Platter is a nice mixture of spiced and marinated Portabello, Abalone and Button mushrooms. This was at least served a little warm. Nice earthy and woody mushroom flavour. Very very tasty dish and a definite choice for mushroom lovers.

Just make sure you have someone to share with because the serving is bigger than it looks!

Kabsa Laham ($15.00)

The Kabsa Laham is available only on Fridays so we decided to grab our chance.
Hmmmm... maybe we should have thought twice.

Again, we were served a dish that was not heated up. The rice was cold and the lamb was warm at best.
I'm not sure if the server had taken too long to bring the dish to us? We didn't really have to wait that long leh...

Anyways the rice wasn't really that tasty. The lamb was tender but definitely strong on the spices (especially cardamom). If you like a strong spice flavour, this is definitely a dish you might want to consider. And the serving is very generous so you can share between at least 2-3 people and grab some other side dishes as well.

But overall, I think we were really expecting this dish to be the bomb since it's a specialty that's only served on one day of the week. Quite disappointing to be honest.

Cleopatra ($6.00) and Karkadeh Fizz ($5.00)

The Cleopatra is basically a fancy name for a mixture of Pink Guava, Mango and Orange juices.
Nice and strong citrus flavour for those who enjoy.

Karkadeh is actually Hibicus Tea. I remember having it the last time and quite enjoyed it so I thought I'd try the fizzy version this time. Unfortunately the fizzy water really took away from the flavour. I'd recommend to take the non-fizzy version if you wanna try.

Adam's Verdict:
Hummus Bil Laham 3/5 -- Mushroom Platter 4/5 -- Kabsa Laham 1.5/5 -- Karkadeh Fizz 1.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Hummus Bil Laham 2.5/5 -- Kabsa Laham 2/5 -- Cleopatra 2.5/5

Some of the dishes are quite value for money but I guess you can see that some dishes could be considered a little pricey. But remember, this is quite an upscale place in an upscale area so prices might be on the high side for some things.

Well, whether you like the food or not, Cafe Le Caire aka Al-Majlis is still a firm favourite.
There are so many things to try so we will probably visit a few more times. Hopefully the food will be heated up the next time we visit :)

Cafe Le Caire @ Al-Majlis

39 Arab Street

Tel: 6292 0979 / 6297 0573
www.cafelecaire.com

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 3.30am Sundays til Thursdays
10.00am til 5.30am Fridays, Saturdays and Eve of PH

Which?Sandwich

At least 3 of our readers sent us emails/PMs to tell us about this "new sandwich place" that was being referred to as the "Halal version of Subway". This definitely got us curious...
And even better - this place was not too far away!

Which?Sandwich is located in the central (and very popular) location of Baghdad Street.
Not sure where exactly that is? Surely you know Arab Street right? Well, it's right around the corner.
And being positioned in such a popular hang-out area, it's no surprise that so many people have been raving about this place. But good location is surely not the only reason people like it right? How about the food??

The menu at Which?Sandwich is actually pretty extensive.
Sandwiches, Submarine Sandwiches, Pizzas, Kebabs, Hotdogs and even something called a Burgerwich (?). Not to mention a whole range of desserts!

Well, for our first visit, we decided to try what the place is supposed to be famous for.

Submarine Sandwich ($11.00 for the footlong)

Now isn't that just a beauty?
That's the footlong version by the way. You can also order the 6" for $6.00.

Since we ordered a footlong, my Brother and myself decided to split it so we could try two different subs at the same time. The one you see above is half 'Cheese N' Steak' and half Cold Cut Combo (made up of Chicken and Beef Salami).

Let me start by saying that part of a good sandwich is having a good bread. And the bread that we have here is really good. Definitely a big plus in our books. It had a great toast on it, some grains and didn't buckle under the pressure of all the goodies in between.

So what about the goodies in between you say?

Excited to dissect the sandwich or what??

JENG JENG JENG!!!
Okay don't panic. Don't panic. Do not be afraid of the sandwich. The sandwich should be afraid of you.

So on the left is the Cheese N Steak section and on the right is the Cold Cut Combo section.

Well unfortunately they ran out of Chicken Salami but I actually really liked the Beef Salami. The salami they use is very tasty and not too peppery. At least you still get some good quality meat. Would have been interesting if they had the Chicken Salami though. You do get a very generous helping of veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles though.

My brother and sister-in-law seemed to favour the Cheese N Steak though (not that I have anything against a good cheesesteak sandwich). Nice big slices of beef with cheese sauce pack a very big mouthful of flavour.
This is definitely a must have for you meat eaters out there!

If you'd like to try something else, other Subs include BBQ Chicken Ranch, Cheesy Meatball, Turkey Salami, Tuna (Chilli or Mayo) and they also have a Vegan version.

Stack Sandwich ($11.00)

It's called a Stack Sandwich for a very obvious reason.
7 slices of toasted bread with all kinds of stuff stuffed in between and oozing with sauces.
Take a deep breath.

So you can choose either Roast Beef, BBQ Chicken Ranch, Turkey Salami, Tuna (Chilli or Mayo), Chicken/Beef Salami or Vegan. We decided to combine the Roast Beef and BBQ Chicken Ranch which get piled on with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese sauce, chilli sauce and mayonnaise.

And just how tall exactly is this Stack Sandwich?

That's right. It is as tall as a Samsung Galaxy Note II phone.
So if you are comparing the Stack Sandwich with your own phone, call a friend at once so you can have some help with the sandwich because it's definitely enough to share.

One thing we noticed is that the Ranch Chicken is basically roasted chicken (meat and some yummy skin) and no Ranch sauce to be found though. And the Roast Beef is pretty peppery. But no major complaints here because we finished the whole thing!

It might be a good idea to share OR eat this really really fast because the bread is normal white sandwich loaf which is toasted so it might get soggy pretty fast with all the sauces in there.

Speaking of eating fast, this Stack Sandwich is so monstrous that they actually hold a monthly sandwich-eating contest to see who can eat a Stack Sandwich the fastest. Hmmm... perhaps The Halal Food Blog Team might take part someday...

And I know we came for the sandwiches but we saw something on the menu that was just too tempting to resist so we ordered it.

Coney Dog ($4.50)

Oh you know you wanna try this right.
Ever since A&W closed down in Singapore, it took away our favourite Coney Dog as well...
Many tried to imitate but failed. So how does this version fare?

Firstly, please note that this is not they typical Chilli you get with your Coney Dog.
This has some spicy beef and also some beans but it's a drier version of what you might be expecting.
But having said that, it is very flavourful. But not quite the same. I guess we were just expecting the wet sloppy Coney Dog topping we are so used to.

But still, this is a very satisfying hotdog.
The Cheesy sausage is delicious and oozing with cheese. The beef and beans pack a punch and this thing is bigger than it looks.

It's massive! Don't believe us?


So do you believe us now?
Just remember - don't wear a white shirt when you eat here... :P
And you can wash it all down with a nice cool Root Beer Float.

Adam's Verdict:
Cheese N Steak Sub 3/5 -- Cold Cut Combo Sub 4.5/5 -- Stack Sandwich 3.5/5 -- Coney Dog 4/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Cheese N Steak Sub 3/5 -- Cold Cut Combo Sub 3.5/5 -- Stack Sandwich 3.5/5 -- Coney Dog 3.5/5

Yana's Verdict:
Cheese N Steak Sub 4/5 -- Cold Cut Combo Sub 3/5 -- Stack Sandwich 4.5/5 -- Coney Dog 5/5

Besides having really good food, the people at Which?Sandwich are really friendly too.
Plus I saw a sign behind the counter so I reckon they're Manchester United fans. Yes ah!

Which?Sandwich

18 Baghdad Street

Tel: 8366 9241
https://www.facebook.com/pages/WhichSandwich/1374548512765874

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 11.00pm Mondays til Fridays
2.00pm til 11.pm Saturdays and Sundays