Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe @ JEM, Jurong East Singapore

This place serves a wonderful array of different cuisines, ranging from Hong Kong to Western, to Baked Portugese rice, Chinese and the list goes on. Be it porridge, noodles, rice, bread, steak, fries, Bee Hoon, you name it, it's there on the menu.

My friends and I decided YOLO s0 we had desserts as appetizers. =) Presenting, the mighty tall Ying Yong Snow Ice.

Ying Yong Snow Ice (SGD 6.50)

It was so tall that we didn't know how to dig in! Do we start from the bottom where all the sweetness and goodness is and destroy the foundation of this mighty tower?? Or do we start from the top where it was nothing but ice and a bit of corn and risk toppling the whole structure over? Some BIG decisions to make over dinner. First world problems =p.

Anyway, we decided there is no right way to eat it, but to just EAT IT. It had coffee flavour, cin cau/grass jelly, sweet corn, red bean, and other sweet goodies. It was my kind of dessert. Definitely a dessert to share, unless you want a brain freeze!

We had Mango Pomelo to share as well. Everything was pretty fresh, creamy and sweet. Nothing to fault here.

Mango Pomelo (SGD 6.50)

For main meals, we had Papaya soup with Chicken chop (SGD 10.90).

Chicken  chop with Papaya Soup (SGD 10.90)

Yes yes, I know it doesn't look like much, but I quite like it! The soup is not the least bit oily, the chicken chop was tender and of decent size. The corn was however, a tad dry and tasteless. Overall, a pleasant dish. My only remark I have is that they should have served the chicken chop on the side, so it retains its crispyness!

Next up, Black Pepper Chicken Chop with Fries. This just seemed sad. The fries didn't have a single bit of life to it! If only it were those chunky ones, served piping hot! MMM.... the chicken chop was good though, great flavour!

Black Pepper Chicken Chop with Fries (SGD 10.90)

Rib Eye Steak with Fries (SGD 10.90).. Overall, a great piece of meat for the price.

Ribeye Steak with Fries (SGD 10.90)

XW Signature Fried noodles (SGD 10.90).. Loved those small little anchovies as toppings, giving this noodle dish an extra umph (for all you non - Malaysians/Singaporeans, that's colloquial talk for an extra kick!) Well seasoned, tasty, not too oily on the palette. A great dish.

XW Signature Fried Noodles (SGD 10.90)

Ratings: 

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Food: 7.5/10

Overall ratings: 7.5/10

Verdict: Overall, food was palatable. Only slight comment -  they could seriously  improve the overall appearance of the main dishes! Sometimes, we just can't help but eat with the eyes too! Nice cosy restaurant. Would definitely head back!

Address: 50 Jurong Gateway Road, #04-25 Singapore 608549. Located in JEM shopping complex.

Contact Number: 6684 0613

Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House @ Singapore

My father's friend has been going on and on about how popular this Bak Kut Teh place was. So, here we are for a taste!

First impressions - WOW, this isn't like a normal KOPITIAM in Kuala Lumpur or Kuching.

It's clean and well tiled.

Look at the tables and chairs outside (right next to a construction site to be exact)!! Still, there are people sitting outside enjoying this delicacy.

The interior was cosy and organised. Check out their pots.

And be sure to glance over the pictures, definitely their hall of fame. Then, you can say I have ate at the same place as '...' and be famous.

I like how we have to make/pour our own tea. Refill your water by the walls. But be careful! It is HOT!

Now, onto the menu. They really have all different parts of pork here, ranging from pork ears, pork skin to whatever inards you want and a selection of vegetables.

Here comes the glorious pork spare ribs! Not too fatty and ever so tender. It just melts in your mouth. Do not try to be a lady and just use your two fingers, pick this up and eat it! The broth was peppery, not quite the usual bak kut teh one usually have in Malaysia. But according to Singaporeans, this is the real deal! In my opinion, I still prefer the herbal kind. Having said that, the broth was well seasoned to taste and not too oily which was definitely a plus point to me =).

And one can never ever forget the yau char kuih.. the perfect accompaniment to this dish. Its like the perfect absorber to soak up all the glorious broth. Just wished it was serve hot, rather than cold.

And of course, sweet black sauce. My favourite.. Please dip the meat in this. It goes perfectly well with it (in my opinion).

As mentioned before, the porky galore. Pork skin. HMM, only one word can describe this.. FATS.

Next.... No comments. I didn't even dare try this. My dad loved it though! haha.

And a plate of nuts. Absolutely loved how the nuts were prepared. Soft and tasty.

I didn't take a close up shot of the vegetables. But, order them VEGES! It's good.

Ratings: 

Ambiance: 8/10 for a coffee shop standard
Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Verdict: Nice cosy place to enjoy some porky goodness. It was my first time trying out Singapore style Bak Kut Teh, so my judgement may not be the best! Guess I am still loyal to my roots, Herbal Bak Kut Teh wins! However, one thing I must say, the ribs were good! Can't comment much on the broth though! Wait till next time, as I explore more Bak Kut Teh places here in the MerLion city.

Address: 208 Rangoon Rd, Singapore 218453

Contact No: +65 6291 4537

Opening Hours:

Sun: 11 am - 11 pm
Tues - Sat: 1o am - 1o pm
Closed on Mondays

Fabulous Baker Boy @ River Valley Road, Singapore

My cousin came to Singapore for a short weekend visit, and she wanted to try brunch food. So, off we go to Fabulous Baker Boy! Even the name sounds good already! I was expecting some BOYs though. =) But couldn't see any boyish bakers. =(

However, the selection of cakes available was just so impressive! It's pretty, well decorated and what not.

Check out the fridge! I was absolutely in love with everything.

One thing different about this place is the focus on outdoor, openness and sceneries. There is no indoor seating. But don't worry, when I say outdoor, I mean shaded, cosy, comfortable and occasionally windy seats.

My group settled for the 'Champion breakfast' consisting of poached eggs, broiche toast, sausages, caramelised onions, garlicky mushrooms and rosemary potatoes. The only comment I have is 'where are the greens?' and 'wow, look at them eggs (perfectly round, topped with black pepper)'. Overall, a crowd pleaser.

Champion breakfast

The eggs were rounder than the pancakes! Can you imagine that! The two big servings of pancakes got a bit overwhelming half way. A bit too 'cakey' and dense to my liking. I was wishing for some ice cream to go along with it! My guy friends liked it though! I guess its up to personal preference!

Blueberry pancakes

Another thing I love is the sign pictured below! It's deep. True to the core. When in doubt/misery/anxiousness or for whatsoever occasion at all, remember to always be calm and have some cake!

Scientifically proven to help you feel better (nah, I'm joking). It's just another reason to have some cake and feel privilege to enjoy such deliciousness! =)

Ratings: 

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 7.5/10

Overall ratings: 7.5/10

Verdict: Great place to hang out and just sit and chill. Couldn't try the cakes this time so I can't comment on it!

Address: 70 River Valley Rd  Singapore 179037

Contact Number: +65 6694 8336

Opening hours: Tue to Thurs : 11am to 6 pm

Fri : 11 am to 11pm

Sat : 10 am to 11 pm
Sun : 10 am to 5pm

CLOSED ON MONDAYS

Tim Ho Wan @ Plaza Singapura, Orchard Road

Finally, I am HERE!

And I owe it to my friends. I have always wanted to try this place, but EACH and EVERY time I walk past, the queue spans 100 m long. Ok, I exaggerate but you get the picture! I'm hungry all the time (ok I exaggerate again) so queuing up an hour for food is not ideal! However, my guy friends so kindly offered to queue while I shopped! hehe. =). I took pictures of them lining up! heh. Note: this is during dinner time, we avoided the lunch and afternoon tea peak hour queue!

Honestly the menu wasn't very vast. I am the type of person that prefers tons of selections.

However, one thing good about having less variety is the fact that their SPECIAL dishes are indeed delicious. Check out their Baked BBQ pork bun! Between 5 of us, we had 3 plates of it and trust me, it wasn't enough! When it was placed on the table, we were filled with awe. The aroma was just so captivating, I wanted to instantly dig into it. And believe me, I would have, but... ASIAN MODE ON, so pictures first!

Baked BBQ Pork Bun

The inside. The sweet, buttery outer crust wonderfully complimented the inner savoury, juicy porky goodness. Wow, I am in love. Eat when HOT!

A dim sum must have, siu mai! Nothing to fault here. Filled with big juicy pieces of shrimp topped with a nice touch, chinese Goji berries (great for eyes)! Just your typical siu mai!

Siu Mai

Moving on to Har Gou aka prawn dumplings. Pleasant to taste as well. The translucence and texture of the pastry was great.

Prawn Dumplings

Next up, pork spare ribs with black bean sauce. Certainly lacking in colour and taste. Having stayed in Melbourne for a good part of my life and being spoiled with some excellent pork spare ribs, this certainly fell short of the 'required' standard.  However, still Ok!

Black Bean Pork Spare Ribs

These dumplings were just odd to me. The filling had some sort of herbs that didn't sit well with my taste buds. The bad thing was we had three serves of it, and NO ONE WANTED SECONDS. I volunteered to finish it. A big waste of stomach space if you ask me.

We had glutinous rice as well! Quite liked it actually, perfectly cooked, well seasoned rice, nothing gooey about it.

Pan Fried turnip cake - a dim sum must have too! Would have loved it if it had more dried prawns and lap cheong! heh. =)

Pan Fried Turnip Cake

This dumplings with spicy sauce dish is definitely a pleasant surprise. Different to the usual dim sum dishes which actually comes with a broth. However, the broth could do with a bit more sour pang to it just to give it some OOMPH. But wow, be warned, see those small chilli pieces in this dish, they are extremely SPICY!! Keep your eyes peeled open for those little killers if you don't fancy spiciness!

Dumplings with Spicy Sauce

However, you can cool down with their barley drink. Not too sweet. A great accompaniment to a rather meaty and oily dinner.

Barley Drink

Finally, end the night with a refreshingly cold and soft dessert - Osmanthus jelly. Healthy too (I think)!

Osmanthus Jelly

To sum it up,

Ratings: 

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Food: 7.5/10

Overall ratings: 7.5/10

Verdict: Loved the BBQ pork bun, would definitely head back for more. However, the long queue might be a deterrent. The seating are honestly pretty tight but with Singapore congested as it is, you can't really expect that much space to yourself! The price is affordable, leaning towards the high side though (approx 25 bucks per person). However, just splurge and enjoy! 

Address: Plaza Singapura - 68 Orchard Road #01-29A Plaza Singapura Singapore 238839

Opening hours: 

10 am to 10 pm (Mon -Fri)

9 am to 10 pm (Saturday, Sunday and Public Holiday)

Slappy Cakes @ Turf Club Road, Singapore

My friends and I were walking around, undecided on a place to eat. Our group of friends always face this problem- WHAT to eat? In Singapore where we basically can have any cuisine we want, surprisingly, the variety of choices makes it harder to come to a decision. Do you face this type of problem too?

Anyway, while walking, two friends spotted Slappy Cakes and they couldn't contain themselves. I guess I have friends who are pancake fanatics. Immediately they wanted to go in despite others saying its weird to have pancakes for lunch. Since savoury is the way to go. Anyway, I was proven wrong. Who says we can't have sweets for lunch?

Look at that crowd! So many fans out there. Anyway, while reading the menu, I realised that one can have other things besides pancakes like their big breakfast or something. But well, since the place is called slappy cakes, I guess we should stick to what they do best!

This is how you do it. First select the type of batter you want.

Then, choose from a variety of fixings (as they put it), from savoury to sweet.

And pick your topping..

After a lot of deliberation, we finally settled for blueberries, hazelnuts, mango jam, white chocolate chips and mushrooms with three different batters - wholegrain, buttermilk and chocolate!

Now, let the cooking begin, unleash your inner most creative spirit and make any type/kind of pancake you wish!

Ready set GO!

All the  pictures below were the extent of our creativity. Below I give you, the sneak peak into the mind of a mid twenty year old.

It got better..

On the top left hand corner, its a double chocolate pancake. Chocolate batter with chocolate chips. Tasted like soft chocolate chip cookies .. mm. =)

Below is a mixture of batters (buttermilk and wholemeal) topped with blueberries.. This was yummy too and please the eye.

By the way, for the savoury pancakes, after adding the mushrooms, remember to add in tiny bit of salt and pepper! Brings out the flavour better.

Overall, the batter was great, fluffy and not 'cakey' at all. The only critique I had was that the hazelnuts were not properly toasted, it was a bit 'lao hong' (for those that understand chinese).

It was a FUN FUN experience. Even those bad at cooking can make great pancakes at slappy cakes! Its a great place to bring your kids out and let them be mini chefs for the day!

Check out their facebook page. Just google slappy cakes and the link will pop out!

It costs around 8 bucks per person between a group of 5. A side note - definitely won't be craving pancakes anytime soon. Had an overdose of it in a day! Around 10? Now I understand why I'm round, round like a pancake. =)

Ratings: 

Ambience: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Food: 8/10

Overall ratings: 7.5/10

Verdict: Great place to hang out. Batter was great. However, the service could do with a major improvement. Had to ask for water 4 times before it finally came! Anyway, those who enjoy pancakes, what are you waiting for?! Go and have a cakey time! =))

Address: 200 Turf Club Road, #01-20/21 Singapore 287994

Contact No: 6465 1814