Xiao Xuan Feng

I can almost hear himself suggesting Xiao Xuan Feng the moment I asked to meet at Tiong Bahru Plaza.

True enough, he did. So there we were again. >_<

Ma Po Doufu (6/10)



Xiao Bai Nai (9/10)



Still as good as before.

Sweet and Sour Shredded Pork (9/10)



We frequent this restaurant so often that I think I might be able to do a complete food review on ALL the dishes someday. :P

Ramen Santouka

Shoyu Ramen - Soya Sauce (6/10)



The meat was tender and flavourful. The noodles was on the thicker side, but that's ok. The soup base was really saltish... I like! :P



The whole Ramen tasted just like instant noodles topped with ingredients. Some people compare ramen to instant noodles when they find the dish 'substandard' or 'not-worth-the-price', but when I compare ramen with instant noodles (with myojo instant noodles -chicken flavour in mind), I meant it to be a compliment. :P

However, came a stage when the ramen became too excessively saltish. So an original 8 rating averages to a mere 6.

The number of people seated in this small restaurant is probably just as many as those queuing outside. :P I only took the pics of the interior (above) and not at the long queue in case I infuriate the hungry (aka angry) people. :P

Price

$28+ for the two bowls above

Place
The Central
#02-76

Coffee Club

Chocolate Mango Blend (3/10)

I would not have ordered something like this if I saw the name first. But alas, I saw the picture on the menu first. I am a visual person, remember? The 3 points were for the chocolate shavings which could never go wrong on almost anything.

Iced Rambutan (8/10)

Nice, smooth, sweet. Ahh.... just like the feeling of a teenager in love. *daydreams*

Price
$14.90

Place
Marina Square
#02-311

A great place to rest your feet after hours of shopping, have a chat with a small group of friends or simply to chill out with your buddy. Just make sure you choose the 'right' drinks. :P

Muthu's Curry

I was instantly reminded of the that irritated but funny indian guy in this commercial when I passed by the reception area. kekeke :P



Bryani (6/10)

The rice was quite tasteless on its own and a tad too dry. I am sure you can tell from the photo.



Fish Head Curry (7/10)
The famous Fish Head Curry - Singapore Best Local Dish Award.



I was prepared to do a long 'hmmmm' and go gaga over this dish, just like everyone else. But I didn't. For it was just an okay dish for me. What's with the award and good reviews? *shrugs* So I guess it's a matter of preferences again, huh?

Mixed Vegetables (9/10)



Strangely, their mixed vege was (so much) better. I find myself digging into this dish more than the bigger pot of fish head curry.

Crackers (8/10)



In fact... I enjoyed the crackers more than the fish head curry itself. >_<

Service
We really couldn't make out what the waiter (with his strong indian accent) was trying to tell us. When we asked him to repeat, he did so with much impatience.

Side track a bit: I subconsciously tilted my head to the right and back (just like a typical indian) when he got my order correct. I find that action of mine pretty amusing... kekeke

It was another who attended to us during billing time. He was much more friendly, humble and helpful. He patiently answered our queries pertaining to the menu even though we were done with our food and bills. Now, that is commendable service.

Price
$37+

Suntec City Mall
B1-056

The Soup Spoon

Velvety Mushroom Stroganoff (6/10)

Too many chunky mushrooms in the soup. Not to my liking.



Chicken Tikka (7/10)



Price
$9.90

Place
Raffles City
B1-75

WongKok Char Chan Teng 旺角茶餐厅

Believe it or not, I was drawn to this brightly-lit restaurant by the clean and spacious look, rather than the food on the menu! :P



Triple Lime Ginger Fizz (5/10)



I personally find the combination weird. Ginger in a cold drink? One sip is but enough for me. It might probably work on someone who likes lime AND ginger much. For one, my hub said the drink was ok. Oh wells... to each his own. *roll eyes*

Iced honey peach passion fruit tea (8/10)



The waitress gave a chuckle when she saw my shocked expression. I might be her 150th customer with that expression for all you know. This bottle is gigantic! Is this the most recent 'in' thing? This is definitely not the first time I was given drinks in such huge quantity.

I had to resort to lifting my bum off the seat just to have a sip of the drink. Imagine how tall the bottle is, or erm... ok, how short I am. :P The fruit tea was refreshing and not too sweet. So I ain't complaining.

HK Fried Handmade noodle with beef



Me (while taking photos): Is your noodles tasty?
No reply.

Me (while reviewing the photos and in a slightly louder volume): Is your noodles tasty or not??
No reply.

Me (looking up): IS your...
Hub (busy digging into his plate of noodles and answering in between bites) : Yep, not bad.

LOL! His actions told me that it was more than just 'not bad' lor!

Hong Kong 'dry style' handmade noodles with honey chicken (9/10)



I guess this dish was similar to that of hub's. Just that the meat that came along with it was different. The honeyed chicken maintained a slight crisp even though it was completely drenched in the sauce. The mee was savoury and was so good it could be eaten on its own!

There were a few minutes of silence while both of us concentrated on wiping out this ordinary-looking, but delicious food. kekeke...

Ham Roll (2/10)



It was way too saltish. My hub and I gave up on this dish after having 1 serving each. We decided to get something else to compensate for the ham roll. Coincidentally, we were eyeing the same thing.

Peanut butter with condensed milk toast (7/10)



This has got to be the tallest toast I have came across so far. :P which is not exactly a plus point because this means that a huge portion of the toast was not covered with peanut butter and condensed milk. Sometimes, less is more.

But I have to give due credits for the even toasting, resulting in a slight crunch with every bite.

Service
Generally quite acceptable.

Price
$30+

Place
Bugis Junction
#02-50

Botak Jones

Despite the many outlets across the island, none of them seems to be located somewhere within my easy access.

Which is why even after the good word-of-mouth, favourable blog reviews (eg. Foodie Gymmie ), and their regular chanting of "Damn good food at a damn good price" on the radio, I wasn't too ready to visit any of the outlets...

Not until this fateful day when I found myself lost along the streets of Namly Garden with JN after the cupcake lessons. A quick sweep down the bus directory showed that the nearest MRT station that we could go to is at Clementi.

If my memory serves me well, the only outlet that is within a 5 minutes walk from a MRT station is none other than the one at Clementi. I suggested to JN about lunching at this place. Having heard much about this stall too, she readily agreed.

Chicken Gumbo (8/10)
Made with Cajun veggies, chicken, turkey sausage and our magic mix of herbs and spices.



It's made of herbs and spices and everything nice. :D

Fish and Chips (8/10)
Premium pacific dory breaded with Japanese bread crumbs



The tartare sauce was quite different from the ones I have tasted, but in the positive way. :) Quite special, I would say.

The crispy fries that were generously flavoured with their own (read: secret) mixed spices, was a refreshing change from the type of fries we usually eat.

My only grouse is that the fries were not evenly dusted with the spices. Neither was the crispiness consistent throughout the same batch. I guess that is pretty evident from the photos above.

Good news for those with bigger appetites! You can ask for more fries upon ordering, at absolutely no extra cost! JN and I did not ask for more. Even then, we were already struggling to finish the ones we were given! >_<"



I love the crumbed layer of this premium pacific dory! The flesh of the fish was pretty alright, but it was nothing like the one I had at Greenwood, for sure. The latter still tops the chart. ;)



I might patronise the stall again if I am within the vicinity, but to make deliberate trips for the food? Hmm... maybe not.

Service
Efficient and friendly

Price
$19 (for 2 reg F&C and 1 upsized Chicken Gumbo soup)

Place
Block 325 Clementi Ave 5
(Kopitiam) #01- 129

Perfect Fairy Cakes

Some photos taken during a cupcake course I attended.

Cappuccino Cupcakes (Cheesecake Topping) - 7/10



Cappuccino Cupcakes (Cream cheese topping) - 8/10



Mexican Wedding Cookie - 7/10



Apple Crumble (9/10)

No photos available. :P

More details here.

Bangkok Jam

I was oh so deprived of Thai food ever since my hub went to Thailand on business trip. He came back feeling so sick of Thai food that he declared he won't be touching Thai food for the longest time.

That was bad news to me. I was kept away from Thai food for like, months? :(

Anyways, came this day when he had a meal not too long before we meet for dinner.

"I'm not hungry"
"So I guess I can opt for whatever I like? Say, Thai food?"
"Yeah"

Without a second word, I scurried to this Thai restaurant in Great world City - Bangkok Jam.



He wasn't hungry, but I knew he wasn't just going to watch me eat. He ordered the following 'side dish'.

Gai Kaw Baiteoy (8/10)

parcels of marinated chicken wrapped in pandanus leaves




The noise he made from unwrapping the pandan leaves caught the attention of a boy on the next table, who later asked to have the same dish. haha!

Gang keow wan kai/pla (9/10)
green curry with chicken, baby eggplants, wild ginger and basil leaves



This dish was fabulous, I tell ya. Having this type of dish makes you feel that the white Jasmine rice on your plate is never enough. After I have finished the rice, I scooped up the gravy and drank as if it was a bowl of soup. :P I kept my fingers crossed that I will not have to run for the toilet in the middle of the show later. >_<

Bangkok Jam's Banana Tempura (7/10)



This banana tempura didn't score as I subconsciously compared it with the sweeter goreng pisangs found in hawker centres. Those are still the best around.

The ice-cream's not bad though.

Service
Warm, friendly and efficient waiters and waitresses

Price
$29.65 (Before using the 50% voucher I had)

Place
Great World City
#02-26

We went for the movie "L" after the meal. Slightly disappointed, but why am I not surprised? It's a 'spin-off' afterall.

And no, I didn't have to leave my seat during the show. Thank goodness. :P

Claypot Rice

When we were about to reach the hawker centre, my hub asked, 'What if the stall is closed for the day? What if the hawker centre is under renovation?' We both shudder at the thought of it because we came a long way to this place just to savour this delicious claypot rice again.

Much to our relief, the stall was still opened. We 'think too much'. :P

Claypot Rice (8/10)



We both felt that the claypot rice was better the last time we came.

Chye Sim Soup (9/10)



Price
$8

Place
Alexandra Village Hawker Centre
#01-31

Mr Avocado

I am a very visual person. But no, I am not a guy. lol! ;)

Anything that goes into my mouth must go through the intial stage of strict screening and filtering by my eyes. In general, I don't like to try food that doesn't look good or comes in 'weird' colours (IMO). The following is a very good example.

Avocado Shake (9/10)



That's why I frowned when my hub bought 2 glasses. I thought I merely wanted a sip!

After I took my first sip, I was soooo glad he bought 2 glasses. Never mind the green, 'ugly' liquid I see, this Avocado shake that I drank was really good stuff. Rich, milky and fragrant.

Price
$2

Place
Alexandra Village Hawker Centre
#01-19

The first thing the lady said when she brought the drinks to us was, 'Do make sure you get the correct stall the next time. We lost many customers to them'. Apparently, my hub almost went to the 'imitation' stall when they called out to him, but returned to the original one after seeing so many write ups and photos from the media at the stall.

So peeps, don't go to the wrong stall, ya?

Hokkien Mee @ AMK Hub

First stop was to the Porridge Steamboat recommended by Jaime. Alas, it was full house! By the time we returned to AMK Hub in search for a place to have our dinner, it was already 9 plus. No more roti prata in Ah Mei Cafe. Ichiban, closed. So we decided to go to the AMK Hub foodcourt to try our luck.

The last time we went there, this was the only stall that stood out with its very long queue. We always have the impression that long queues means that the food is exceptionally good. Most of the time, we are right. But sometimes, it's just a false impression.

Hokkien Mee (6/10)



I wouldn't say it's that bad. Just that perhaps, it's not worth queueing up for. One thing for sure, it wasn't cooked on the spot. They merely scooped it out of somewhere. At such late hours, I can't help but feel that they were just reheating the leftovers.

Price
$4

Place
AMK Hub
Foodfare

Cedele Depot

I have always wanted to try the cakes at Cedele Depot after I read about them at Cheryl's blog. I knew that the chances of me visiting this place are very slim because my hub doesn't like cakes and stuff.

Much to my delight, I managed to convince my hub into having a tea break at Cedele on Saturday. He can have the sandwiches while I have the cake. Brilliant!

The cakes were beckoning me, and yet, for some strange reasons, I decided to order a sandwich combi meal instead. BAD choice. :( Sorry, cakeys... I will make sure I won't miss out on you the next time, I promise. >_<

Wild Mushroom Soup (5/10)



Rosemary Chicken Sandwich (6/10)

Bacon and Mushroom Omelette Sandwich (7/10)



Service
Impatient lady at the cashier

Price
$29.60

Place

Raffles City Shopping Centre

#B1-01

Yella Fellas

I am a big fan of fries. Even the photo at the top of my blog says so. If I didn't call myself 'Food Lover' back then, it would probably be 'Fries Lover'. :P

Thus, when I read about the Yella Fellas in Camemberu's and and Ice's reviews, I knew I had to give the fries in this stall a try.

The different condiment for our yella (but no, not dirty) fellas.

Busy preparing fries for me...

Say Cheese! (8/10)
(Fries with sour cream, cheese and bacon bits)



Truth be told, I was a little disappointed because the fries were not as crispy as I would like them to be. The cheese and bacon bits help lots for the 8.

Price
$3.80

Place
Parco Bugis Junction
B1-K6

Ma Maison

It has been tucked in that corner for quite some time but the craze for its food only started recently. I wonder why.

And why oh why is it 'super dry'? Anybody?



The lamp, the ornaments and everything on the table gives one a very homely feel.



Corn Soup (8/10)
Not too bad!



Caesar Salad (7/10)
I miss my caesar salad in Spizza already! >_<



Beef Stroganov (7/10)
The rating's for the egg and butter rice, which I had a bite of.



Tonkatsu (7/10)
Plain Tonkatsu and salad. Let me dress you up...



Attention, all condiments! Stand in line and get ready for some action!



Ooo... you look so appetizing now...



The pork (even with the sauce on it) was rather ordinary. Ironically, the side dishes were better. :P

Bill time!



Price
$50.02

Service
I waited 1 hour in total before I get to have my meal as they ran out of the ingredients for pork croquette, and informed only much later. :( In general though, the waiters/waitresses were friendly, prompt and attentive.

Place
Parco Bugis
#02-51