The title said it all! These 2 flavours are ultimately 'heaty', they are likely to make one fall sick soon. Real soon! My cousins & I were debating what flavours to have and we had to give all the alcoholic ones a miss, coz my cousins do not fancy alcohols. In the end, we settled for the Mao Shan Wang & the Awesomely Chocolate, which one of them commented it as a 2nd ultimate combination!! WHY??? Awesomely Chocolate was on the bitter side, while the Mao Shan Wang was on the sweet side, hence, he felt that he was actually eating durians on their own!! Yeah, he liked it!! =) And in my opinion, the Awesomely Chocolate is giving Reverso (from Island Creamery) and the Goodwood Park's Durian Feast a run for both their money. =) As a consumer, I'm not complaining! =D The service crew was really friendly, allowing us to sample different flavours before purchasing. He even recommended us to sample the Mao Shan Wang last, as it has the strongest taste of all. And he even answered my 'mountain turtle' question on the flavours on the blackboard!! Opps!! It's a pity that there is no Udders anywhere near Clementi (unless one travels to Toh Tuck area), but when the opportunity arises, I'll be back to consume a scoop of Amaretto Black!! =)

Anyone, who has been in and around the area of Holland Village, would have realised that the lot which Everything With Fries is currently occupying, had a string of previous tenants. But that aside, my friends & I chanced upon this place while trying to decide on a place for desserts. For starters, we were drawn to the display refrigerator of tarts and pies and hence, we decided to give this place a try. White-washed walls with a blackboard menu and a service crew dressed in white and pastel pink, it felt really old school. The menu was a simple laminated sheet, clipped to a clipboard! How old school could this be? MORE!! There was a bookshelf filled with good afternoon reads and more importantly, Enid Blyton was on the shelf!! Talk about reliving our childhood!! Anyway, we decided to go ahead with the Mille Crepe (filled with Nutella) as the Nutella Tart looked a bit too filling, and a Pear Tart with Ice Cream. The Mille Crepe with Nutella was just simply chocolatey! I just could not imagine how much more chocolatey the Nutella Tart would be!! *GASPS* Well, as the name suggested, 'mille' meant many layers of crepe. What really impressed me was the effort (perhaps) put into making this dessert, as nutella was spread in between the layers!! One could say that this dessert was rather fine. =) But it was rather difficult to maintain its shape after a while and we all just ate from the collapsed mess, which we had created. =P On the other hand, the Pear Tart with Ice Cream was a disappointment. My friend is a lover of pear tarts, hence he was looking forward to something that was warm and soft. On the contrary, we had something rather cold and hard and the tart broke up the moment we plunged our forks in. =( The service crew was rather attentive and consistently came around to top up our iced water glasses! And it was commendable that they were rather well informed about the menu, though they appeared to be rather young! =D Thumbs-up for that!! As it was a Wednesday evening, the entire cafe was bustling with activities, hence unless one is given the corner seats, it may not be such a suitable place for catching up with friends. However, the cafe is a rather good place for large group gatherings, except that once in a while, one may have to raise his volume a little higher than usual to be heard clearly. Nonetheless, what caught our attention and perhaps the reason for our next visit, is the selection of fries available. We were rather curious to find out, how would Fries with Garlic & Herbs taste. Hence, this will be one reason we will be returning for. In addition, if I am able to persuade my Nutella-loving friend, we will return to sample the Nutella Tart!! =) Which looks and sounds super sinful!!

The restaurant was tied to a bar and a tennis match was played out n the LCD television, while I was waiting for my friends to arrive for dinner. Having no idea what the restaurant was serving, I decided to take a look at the menu and I was surprised to learn that it was a restaurant, housing popular local dishes under one roof. =) Finally at 8pm, I got my hands on the food. Dinner began with a house mocktail, which was rather refreshing, especially after a hard day’s work at the office. =) From that point onwards, there was no turning back. The dishes arrived fast and furious. For this food-tasting session, we had the opportunity to sample many (if not all) of the items on the menu and hence, I had my fair share of the Chilli Crab (with a small fried bun) and Pepper Crab! =) Both had thick and fragrant gravy, but the Chilli Crab scored better as it tasted fresher. But nonetheless, lesson learnt was never to eat crab when it gets cold. =( The Fish Curry with Roti Prata was quite a different combination (as compared to what I would usually have during a Prata outing), however, together with the Chicken Rice, I gave both dishes a miss, but instead, I turned my attention to the Fried Hokkien Mee & Nasi Lemak! =) The Fried Hokkien Mee really scored!! And it had the exact taste which I always go after at my favourite Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre stall! =) Sufficiently wet and tossed with generous amount of ingredient, it will be a ‘Must-Have’ of mine during any future visits. As more food moved down the table, next up were the Carrot Cake & Char Kway Teow. The carrot cake was rather fragrant, except that I felt that it was a little on the dry side, otherwise it was still impressive. On the other hand, the Char Kway Teow did not make an impression, coz maybe I am more in favour of Penang Char Kway Teow, hence its taste did not have an impact. 2 other really impressive dishes were the Laksa & the Beef Hor Fun! My friends commented that the Beef Hor Fun had that wok-taste, which was really important for the dish (and yes, it did have that taste), hence my conclusion was?? Another must-have for future visits!! And the Laksa (too!!) was impressive!! Generous servings of ingredients (of which, I consumed a little too much) and fragrant coconut gravy, but it was a ‘well-balanced’ gravy and it did not leave me feeling super stuffed from it. =) I was hoping to be able to sample the Cuttlefish with Kang Kong (as it is a favourite in my family), but due to our vast (and huge) order, it might have slipped the service crew’s mind. =l Well, this will be a target dish of mine, during future visits!! As for the desserts, we had a spread of Mixed Fruits Platter (comprising of mango, dragonfruit etc.), Cheng Teng, Pandan Cake etc. It was such a huge spread, we actually eventually had problem trying to finish up the food (which left me feeling kind of guilty). What I really liked about the restaurant, was how I was able to sample so many local dishes simultaneously at an affordable price! In addition, these dishes come in adequate portions, which will not leave one feeling as though his tastebuds have not been satisfied. And it is a good place to bring overseas friends to sample local dishes, without having to run to different places for different dishes! It can be accomplished, all under the same roof. =) And as the evening proceeded, the crowd actually thinned a little, hence making it a rather conducive place for friends to do some catching up, without having service crew pressurising one to leave upon completing his meal. =) It was a satisfying dinner and I was seriously stuffed by the time we left at 11pm. Service was excellent and the restaurant manager periodically checked on us to ensure that we were well taken care of. Hence, I would like to return someday, to sample if the food quality is the same and the service level is still the same too. And definitely, for my ‘must-have’s too!! So till my next visit!! =)

It's rather weird to see the little sign at the bottom saying: Managed by Jumbo Seafood! Anyway, that aside, my friends and I chanced upon this restaurant, while having a hard time to decide what's for dinner on a Wednesday evening. Immediately, I was drawn to the mini-burgers and hence tried my best to psycho and convince my friends to do the Mini Burger Combo, which comprised of Mentaiko Mayo Prawn Burger, Spicy Cha Siu Burger & Teriyaki Chicken Burger. The Mentaiko Mayo Prawn Burger immediately scored with me (maybe I'm biased towards prawns), while I was not so big on the Teriyaki Chicken or the Spicy Cha Siu Burgers. But I must commend the Spicy Cha Siu Burger for being rather subtle in its spicy taste! The spiciness was not obvious upon initial tasting but after a slight pause, one could taste the slight spiciness present. All of us had the Traditional Hakata Ramen, while one friend had the Moridakusan (All-In) Ramen, since he could not decide which toppings he wanted. What I really liked about the ramen, was the springy ramen noodle, which really added texture to the whole feel of eating ramen. And having just did a little read-up on Hakata Ramen, I must say that the broth was rather fragrant, so that scored a thumb-up!! =) It was rather nice to have an LCD television placed in our direct line of vision, but it was rather distracting as well, coz most of the time, our attention was glued to the TV, which was playing out an old SMAP concert (though it was nice to see Takuya Kimura on screen). It also brought my friends and I down memory-lane, as we tried to recall who were the popular Japanese artistes and the Japanese culture back in our time. Opps!! Unfortunately, the restaurant got a little too crowded by 7.30pm, hence we had to give up our table for the next diners. And so we adjourned elsewhere... Will I return? I'm currently not sure, as there are still plenty of restaurants around Holland Village for me to sample. But if I do have a craving for Ramen, within the vicinity of the West, I would not mind traveling down to Holland Village for some Hakata Ramen again. =D Psst!! Citibank has a 10% discount with the restaurant! Flash the Citibank card while the promotion lasts!

A slightly overdued review, but nonetheless, it should still be written to do justice to this restaurant, It was packed on a Friday evening and a reservation was required, otherwise, we would be left sitting on the row of chairs set up outside the restaurant. I was expecting the food to be arranged on the tables outside the kitchen but lo and behold, my friends had to inform me that this was an ala carte buffet and the restaurant served its food, piping hot straight from the kitchen. So the only items placed on the tables outside the kitchen were: fruits, desserts, beverages and some cold dish. In less than 15 minutes after we had placed our ala carte orders, we were bombarded with a table full of food, ranging from seafood to meats to vegetables to carbohydrates. And of course, pampering ourselves with the small but manageable dessert spread as well. Under the Seafood section, we tried the Scallop with Vermicelli, Bamboo Herbal Prawn, Steamed Prawn with Minced Garlic, Stir-Fried Mackerel with Asparagus in XO Sauce etc. And being a prawn-lover, I was won over by the Bamboo Herbal Prawn, as the prawn was served whole (as compared to the prawns which had been sliced into halves for the Steamed Prawn with Minced Garlic) and after finishing the prawn, one would be able to savour the herbal soup, which was surprisingly, not as ‘herbal’ as I had thought. Under the Meats section, we ordered the Deep-Fried Crispy Pork Ribs with Garlic, ‘Pu Tien’ Sweet & Sour Pork with Lychees, Venison in Black Pepper Sauce, Deep-Fried Red Bean Curd Chicken Wings etc. And what really scored with the whole table were the Chicken Wings!! We had multiple orders of that!! Not only were they crispy, but they were fragrant and almost succulent! Yummy!! We just could not keep our hands off them!! And to the Local Delights section, we had the Stir-Fried Yam, Stir-Fried Cauliflower with Sliced Fish, Braised Homemade Beancurd, Stir-Fried Kai-Lan with Beancurd Skin, Local-Styled Shrimp Roll etc. The Stir-Fried Yam balls were really huge. And the entire ball was actually packed with yam!! So if one ain’t a yam-lover, he is likely to develop yam-phobia after consuming this dish. It didn’t helped that we mixed it up with the Shrimp Roll, hence we were ‘complaining’ that the shrimps had all swam away!! Another commendable dish is the Braised Homemade Beancurd. In a sense, how could this dish go wrong? But it was really nice to see the beancurd cut into pretty perfect cubes and cooked in such a way that its shape was still intact. =) And under the carbohydrates (Local Entrées) section, we had the ‘Pu Tien’ Lor Mee, which was white in colour, instead of that traditional black version. Rather interesting dish, with ample ingredients! But the noodles were so slippery, they kept slipping off our spoons, resulting in quite a mess on the table. =l In addition, my friend got the Fried Rice with Shredded Vegetable, which looked deceivingly green (yuck!), but it actually tasted pretty good!! Not to mention that the vegetable taste was not overwhelming! =) And finally, the soup, which was the highlight of the evening – Double-Boiled Duck Soup (which was limited to only 1 portion per customer)!! It was so good!! The duck meat was so well-done that it just kind of melted in one’s mouth! And the soup was just fantastic!! Fragrant and yummy!! Double thumbs-up there!! And having spent too long a time eating from the menu, we totally missed the dessert-fruit spread, so we had to settle with whatever that was left, i.e. some fruits and some cheng-teng-styled desserts. But oh wells, we had our fill from the mains itself. As mentioned, the whole restaurant was buzzing with activity by 8pm, from families to community groups to young adults etc. One minus point would be that the restaurant was rather cramp (as they had to fit so many diners inside), hence walking space was rather limited. But what was impressive was the memory of the service crew!! They did not even have a memo pad with them to take down orders, but they had everything memorized!! *A Pat on the Back There!!* Although this meal amounted up to about $35 per person (for a Friday evening buffet), I would still gladly pay the amount and enjoy the food once again. Not only because we had so much to enjoy till we’re stuffed, but rather, the quality of the food was pretty impressive! =) So when my next visit comes, it will be to gauge if quality has been maintained. =D

It was a cold, rainy Thursday evening and we were a little too early for dinner, so we decided to escape the rain and hide in Fosters and enjoy some nice afternoon tea. Without further ado, we decided to order an English Afternoon Tea Set and another selection of tea for sharing. Due to the foggy glass panes, coupled with cosy furniture and an old-newspaper menu, I almost believed that I was not in Singapore, till I heard the noisy traffic along Holland Road. Our tea set arrived with Homemade Scones, Fruit Cake and Sandwiches, of which the homemade scones left the biggest impression. Warm and fragrant, combined with jam or cream, made it all so yummy. =) Though the fruit cake was a little on the dry side, which made it a little flaky. Since it was a Thursday afternoon (some time before Christmas), the cafe was rather empty, hence making it a good place for conversations. Coupled with the heavy downpour, nice, hot tea and great company, I really had a rather good time that afternoon. If some improvements could be made of its tea set, I will definitely be tempted to return and mark Fosters as a good afternoon tea place in the West.

Dinner on a Friday evening should always be done with a reservation, since Friday is usually regarded as the start of the weekend. Hai Tien Lo was really nice to hold my reservation, though I was late for almost 30 minutes (due to traffic congestion)!! The path to Hai Tien Lo was rather interesting, or more of a trip of courage, as one has to brave the elevator ride to the 37th storey of Pan Pacific Hotel!! But as one goes up higher, the view gets prettier too. =) We were immediately presented with a selection of teas, upon sitting down at our table, which had a good view overlooking Raffles City Shopping Centre & Suntec City Convention Centre. I overlooked and thought that I had order Rose Tea, but it turned out to be Matured Rose Pu Er, which explained the strong pu er taste. But behind it all, one could taste the sweet but faint taste of roses. =) Dinner started off with 2 individual soups - Shredded Scallops with Sea Cucumber in Thick Broth (SGD 18.00) and Hot & Spicy Soup with Cuttlefish & Seafood (SGD 10.00). I had the latter and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as I am a rather faithful follower of hot & spicy soups or la mians. =) Our first dish served was the Sweet & Sour Chicken with Mango (SGD 22.00), which was rather interesting. The kitchen gave meats from the thigh, which scored with my family. The combination of mango and capsicum was rather ingenious, as it added texture and taste to the whole dish - the sweetness and crunchiness, but with a tinge of sourness. Not to mention that the overall sauce was thick (but not coagulating) and fragrant. Next was Wok-fried Scallops, Cuttlefish & Seasonal Vegetables with Homemade XO Chilli Sauce (SGD 38.00), which came with some crunchy flakes, which I could not stop eating. Mum enjoyed the seasonal vegetables (i.e. broad beans), as they were rather fresh and crunchy!! Portions of cuttlefish were rather generous, and I almost believed that I would not be able to finish all the cuttlefish. As usual, the impressive bit was always the sauce, which made all the difference. =) The vegetable dish - Blanched Spinach & Pine Mushrooms with Superior Chicken Stock (SGD 22.00), finally arrived after all the meats and seafood had been served. Perhaps due to my high expectations, I was rather disappointed to realise that this dish tasted pretty normal. The gravy was thick and fragrant, but it reminded me much of the vegetable dish from wedding dinners, hence this dish did not score with me. Our carbohydrate intake for the evening was the Hai Tien Lo Handmade Noodles with Seafood (SGD 28.00), which consisted of a generous portion of seafood. Though it was stir-fried, it was nice to know that oil was used sparingly, yet it was still pretty moist. =) Hai Tien Lo definitely has the correct ambience for a nice, quiet dinner, coupled with a good night view of Singapore's city area, though occasionally, this quietness can be shattered by a wailing kid from the neighbouring table. Otherwise, it will be a rather perfect setting for business meals and family gatherings. =) Overall, it was a pleasant experience, though the price tag was rather heavy as well. However, good food usually comes with a rather impressive price tag, so I'm not complaining about the prices (except for the vegetable dish). And as usual, much has been written about the dim sum (which I am having a recent craving for), so if time permits on a weekend, I will want to give its dim sum a try!!

I chanced upon Amici, while trying to figure out which food vouchers I should trade for with credit card points, but till Nov 2009, I did not visit Amici, though I dine frequently at Holland Village. During my 1st visit, my friends and me were surprised at the affordability of the pasta and its rather authentic taste (as commented by my friend who has tasted pasta in Italy). And on my 2nd visit, we were presented with the pleasant surprise of a 1-for-1 for all main courses!! =) For my 1st visit, I had a Spaghetti Alle Vongole (SGD 17.90), which was essentially sauteed fresh clams with spaghetti in white wine sauce. I must say that the chef was really generous with the portions of clams, hence, while eating, we were stacking the side plates with the clam shells too. And the white wine taste was rather significant, which was something I really did enjoy. Thumbs up for this dish!! =) In my 2nd visit (this evening), I had a Spaghetti Aglio Olio E Peperoncino Con Granchi (SGD 24.90), which was crab meat tossed with olive, garlic, chilli and spar chilli. My personal favourite was linguine, while my friend preferred her to be fettuccine, so we had our swaps done for the choice of pasta. Due to the slightly romantic lighting, I was unable to see the crab meat portions (till I came home to see them in the photo). Thankfully it was not as spicy as I thought it would be, especially since there was a little chilli next to its name in the menu. =P Hence, I would say that the chilli taste was rather balanced. A little disappointing was perhaps, the pasta being a little on the dry side. Otherwise, it was a rather enjoyable dish. It was rather interesting to see an open-concept kitchen, with the diners having the chance to watch the chefs in action. But the minus point was the high probability of leaving the restaurant smelling like food. =D I really enjoyed the service provided, as it was rather attentive and the crew was really helpful, although they were rather disappointed when I said that I would give desserts a miss. Opps!! 2 visits within 6 months, of which I enjoyed myself very much on both occasions!! I will definitely want to return to have more of Spaghetti Alle Vongole and perhaps, the desserts as well. Especially its famed Tiramisu. =D

It has been 2 years since I visited the 2am:Dessert Bar. The previous time I had wanted to do so, it was a Sunday evening and hence the bar was closed. =( This time round, I brought my friend, who missed her chance to visit the bar as she was on a business trip. And though we did not have a reservation, I was so happy to have gotten a seat on the sofa, although it was only for a short 1.5 hour. The menu has changed since my 1st visit!! But all-time favourites, such as, Chocolate & Tiramisu are still available on the menu. =) My friend and me were rather lost as to what to order, so the really friendly service crew came forward and did a really good introduction as to all the desserts. And she gave her honest opinions as to what she really liked and what she has not tried. And being a 'real' chocolate lover, I immediately voted for Araguani H2O (SGD 14.00), which had a 72% chocolate content!! Upon serving the dessert, I was informed that within the chocolate cube-block lies a sphere of caramel. YUMMY!!! What really impressed me, was the combination of bitter chocolate with caramel, hence the overall effect was rather surprisingly pleasant. The Yuzu Sorbet reminded me at once of lime sorbet, but it was the necessary sour required to couple with the sweet but bitter chocolate cubes. =) My friend had a Toffee Pudding (SGD 14.00), which was coupled with Passion Fruit Sorbet (??), which both of us were unable to figure out the taste. My friend commented that it tasted much and reminded her of the English Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was rather thick and the toffee taste was strong and fragrant. It left quite an impression on my friend. =) As usual, 2am:Dessert Bar has an ambience, which is perfect for dates, catching up & chilling out with friends etc. Birthday celebrations as well, which was something which we chanced upon this evening. A group of girlfriends were celebrating their friend's birthday and they even got the bar crew into the whole affair. =) At that instant, my friend and I concluded that this will be a good place as one of the locations to visit for a Hen's Night!! Just think, sweet and sinful sensations to one's tastebuds, while trying to lose all the weight before getting married. =D Well, I'm definitely curious to visit 2am:Dessert Bar again! Afterall, I've been presented with new surprises each time I visit the bar!! But definitely not too often, as it will be a little painful for the pocket. =P

My cousin was joking that, since his friend's cousin's wife was not at the stall this evening, the Nasi Lemak was not 'power' at all. It was another of those eating sessions that my cousins and me did, and this time round, we ventured west to have a taste of this famed Nasi Lemak. We were pretty drawn to the tray of sotongs but decided to be so-called healthy and settle for a standard Nasi Lemak, which comprised of ikan bilis with roasted peanuts, chicken wing and a fried egg. Another cousin commented that though the rice had a slight tinge of pandan, it was slightly wet. We would have preferred it a little drier. =) But the fried chicken wing was good and still crispy though it looked as though it had been out the pan for quite some time. What really caught my attention was the use of the egg round (??) to contain the egg while frying it!! It was quite a sight to see many egg rounds on the frying pan!! =D And yes, what was so power about the Nasi Lemak, was perhaps the chilli, which was an essential requirement for Nasi Lemaks!! =) Rather spicy and sufficiently thick, but unfortunately, it was a little too spicy for me, such that more than half was actually left behind after I wiped off everything on my plate. The uncle, who served us, was rather humorous and cracked some pretty lame jokes, but, well, it entertained us while queuing for our turn. So that earned the so-called 'service' rating. =D Not sure if I will return to visit this stall, as it is rather out of the way for many of us. BUT if any of us are in and around the area, we may really consider returning for a 2nd try, especially if my cousin's friend's cousin's wife is in the stall. Then maybe, we can really taste and see what 'power' truly is.