I must have called Riders Cafe at least 5 times with changes for my reservation from the day to the time to the number of people to directions! They were accommodating and nice each time I called and I was thrilled that we got a balcony seat without having to ask. First impression - 9.5/10. (Always room for improvement you know)

We got there just as the sun was setting and it was the perfect start to the weekend with dinner there on a Friday night. The green of it all with the occassional car driving by in the distant and the feel of the old colonial building was surreal.

Altho as it started to get dark and the breeze started to come in, you get the occassional whiff of horsy poo and whatnots. Would also have been prettier if they had dressed the tress up with fairy lights but I guess ther could have been a distraction for the horses.

We started with a Prawn and Portobello salad. Not a big portion so you could share it with 2 persons max but really, it was only a single person's portion. Taste wise, I'll give it a 7/10.

The mains all looked pretty good and I had a hard time deciding between the Chilean Cod or the Lamb Rack. All mains come served with Mash potato and some veg. In the end my friend went with the cod and I couldn't resist the lamb rack.

I was happy with my choice altho slightly dissappointed with the portion when it was served...but I think I was starving by then and my eyes were bigger than my stomach. The lamb was succulent and juicy and by the time i was through ...I was one happy well-fed camper.

My friend's cod was a generous slab. She said it was slightly fishy in taste but was good on the whole still.

And for the dessert. Now, this is one chocolate cake worth its caloroies! I would say it was one of the best I've had. Introducing the Riders Cafe Death-by-chocolate cake. Dark dark moist cake soaked in dark chocolate sauce and creamy vanilla ice cream. We ordered 1 portion to share and honestly, I think we were all ready to grab the plate and lick it clean if not for modesty!

I also like the place for the well spread out tables and the whole unpretentious air about it.

For drivers, be careful as you're turning into the small lane leading up to the parking area, its narrow and you'll have to negotiate a bit if you've got cars coming out too. And its very dark at night too, turn up your lights!

I'm hoping to head back there for a nice brunch soon!

The new Oasis building finally lived up to its name. Located in Toa Payoh park, it was a nice well ventilated building with ample natural lighting and a pretty view of the park lake.

The menu was unchanged from its Kallang days and the "han zi mui" was still served in the red bucket warmer.

Special of the day was Roast Goose which tasted just like Roast Duck "Lu Ya" except not as fatty. The meat was thinly sliced and rather tender too. We also had the Chai po Omelette which was nice and fluffy, Chai Buay - not too salty, Deep fried salty chicken - a bit like prawn paste chicken but yummier and also Brasied beancurd with Shrimps.

Was a satisfying meal in all in a nice comfortable environment. Oh, and if you drive, you'll have to park at the swimming pool carpark. Altho we spotted some cars driving into the park area in front of the building even though there were temporary barriers put up. I suppose they allow VIPs to drive in or perhaps those who require the handicap lot.

Edogawa is definitely value for money with warm service. Had lunch there yesterday and both the exterior and interior were nicely furnished so I was expecting prices to be rathe expensive too.

Set lunches were reasonably priced from below $10 to about $22. I had the Katsu Don set which was a generous serving of rice and pork cutlet, sides of salads, pork stew, soup and pickles. The set also comes with complimentary dessert and you can choose from coffee, macha ice cream or strawberry or mango pudding.

I wouldn't say the food was excellent but it was palatable enough for the price and a comfortable environment.

Also, the staff were mainly chinese speaking and could converse in simple english BUT orders are written down in JAPANESE!! *Impressed*

Regardless of language, service was prompt, warm and friendly. My friend who sent her teriyaki chicken back as it was slightly under cooked had a whole new freshly cooked serving back.

Tip: Fill up their feedback form and get a 30% discount voucher for your next visit ;)

I actually went to this place 2 days in a row...only coz I had to find out why its always so crowded!

On the first visit, I had to go for the house specialty..Ayam Penyet. I had high expectations coz I thought you can't really go very wrong with fried chicken. I like that it comes with tempe,fried tofu and kangong...and that the chilli basically numbs my lips enough and gives it an instant lip plump. The chicken ..well, like I said, you can't go wrong.

Day 2, I ordered the chicken soto with tang hoon and the fried pomfret set. I much prefer the fish over the chicken. Fish is meaty and moist..not over fried and dry.

As for dessert, the chendol is rather dissppointing. Only had the wormy green jelly bits and no other kacang. The avocado juice is worth a go though.

Modesto's has certainly refocussed their target audience since their first outlet at the Orchard Parade hotel. I've not been to Modesto's in years and was still under the impression of the dark and somewhat cosy setting they had at the Orchard Parade hotel...which seem like it was designed for people who wanted a discrete and quiet dining experience.

I thought I walked into a pizza hut at Modesto's at Vivo. It was bigger, brighter and a lot more colorful then I expected. Was there fairly early before the dinner crowd streamed in. It was filled up within an hour by families, young-ish couples and the odd tourists.

I was looking forward to this really yummy pizza I had a few years back which had an egg in the centre of the pizza. I scanned and scruitinised every each of the menu only to find out from the waiter that they don't have a pizza like that...not before she gave me an odd "are you in the right restaurant" look.

Dissappointed, I was half tempted to go to another joint. Settled on a pasta dish with chicken and mushroom in creamy tomato sauce. (Can't remember what it was called).

I REALLY should have left on the onset. The pasta looked and tasted like yellow noodle...over cooked and the dish was barely warm when it was served. The tomato cream sauce tasted like it was out of a can...which it probably is but somehow they could have done a better job masking it.

The dessert was a bit more satisfying. I went with the tiramisu seeing that it probably was the safest bet. The portion was more than generous...enough to share amongst 3. They've probably tweaked the recipe to cater to the family crowd as I could hardly taste any alcohol in it.

I'll probably go back if I was still a kid in school who didn't know better.

My favourite part of this bakery is the outdoor seating with a lovely green view and the soft almost meditative sound of the waterfalls to one side.

Coupled with a whole loaf of Mama's famous dark chocolate bread (yes all to myself), a good book and a comforting pot of tea...its a little piece of heaven.

One of the better new joints I've tried in a while.

Love the store front where the bookstore part is, nice spacious serving/preparation area but the dining room and kitchen seem rather small.

Inspite of that, they manage to dish out a pretty interesting spread and most importantly, good tasting menu.

Had a small gathering of 6 there and a nice corner to ourselves. Can probably take up to a party of 10 if need be.

We ordered 4 out of the 5 mains they had, a pasta and some sides to share.

I had the Mojito Pork served with cucumber yoghurt and wedges. It smelt absolutely wonderful and lived up to its taste. The pork was slightly fatty though but I guess that's what made it yummier.

Everyone else was happy with their choice. The lamb shank which looked inviting just from the sheer size of the portion, was tender and fell right off the bone as lamb shanks should. The Duck Confit, Steak and Chicken Casserole got the thumbs up too.

For appetizers, I'll say their conconction of Ngo Hiang with Achar was very unique and tasted better than it sounds!

Was a wonderful all in all. The only dampener was their policy of not providing plates for us when we brought our own birthday cake. The wait staff was apologetic and gave us a lot of of servettes though.

I think the Novena area has been under rated for having a pretty good variety of mid-range eateries. There's a new joint every other month although most don't quite survive too many taste buds.

Your Woul's menu consisted of familiar korean side dishes and mains like korean pancakes, kim chi soup, ginseng chicken and several other soupy noodle options plus the BBQ meat selections.

We ordered the Korean Ginseng Chicken, Kimchi soup set and another soup which was very much like kimchi soup but with mussels instead of pork.

The Korean Ginseng Chicken comes with no seasoning or preservatives at all. Stuffed with korean sticky rice, ginseng and chestnuts and stewed for hours. Salt and pepper are served on the side for added flavour. The soup tasted light and the chicken was tender and falls right off the bone, albeit slightly fatty. 3 of us shared 1 portion which works out well. Could also feed 1 very hungry person.

The kimchi soup was a nice portion with beancurd, sliced pork and kimchi lettuce. It could use a bit more sourish punch though.

Range of about 6-7 appetizers comes complimentary with the meal.

The meals ends on a sweet note with a nice brew of ginger, cinnamon and honey with a sprinkling of pine nuts.

Nice, warm service from the lady owner who'll take the time to explain what goes into each dish.

I stumbled upon this little joint, amongst the many at the infamous food level at Far East plaza. You either avoid that level for the greasy smoke that infuses your hair and clothes and every each of your body, or...for the wonderfully cheaper and glorious selection of semi-hawker comfort food that's been there for as long as I can remember.

Hong Hu boasts a menu of no less than 10 different types of soup/dry la mian and chinese dumplings. From the traditional fish slice mee hoon to seafood soup noodle or "kan lou la mian" (dry noodle) to those topped with tempura or chicken chop. You get a choice of having them dry or with clear or tom yum soup.

I usually go there for a nice comforting bowl of fish slice soup. The brew is maybe a tad salty but its the shiok type that's full of flavour.

The "shui jiao" (dumpling) is nicely made with enough meaty filling that doesn't leave too much air pockets within. They come pan-fried (guo tie) too.

There's always a constant stream of customers (self service) with enough seat-in space and pretty quick turnover. Brisk and friendly service from the team at the counter too.

The connotation of "Nonya Hi-tea" conjures up kebaya-clad bibiks fussing in the kitchen over the lovely peranakan spices and brews from inherited recipes that's been passed down generations. I had high expectations and it was to be a birthday treat for mum too.

I was dissappointed from the onset having done my first round of walk about surveying the spread. There was none of the tradtional nonya dishes of ngo hiang or buah keluar or chap chye. In place of these key nonya dishes were curry chicken, chee cheong fun, fried chicken wings, pan fried yam cake and even indian rojak found its way into the menu.

But there were other more nonya choices like Kueh Pie Tie, laksa, mee siam and of course a selection of nonya kuehs like Ang Ku Kueh, Ondeh-Ondeh and the other kuehs kuehs that I can't pronounce.

Granted that it was hi-tea so perhaps bite size dishes were more appropriate than the full nonya banquet.

Here's the full spread and my verdict on those I tried:

Chee Cheong Fun : Left out too long and edges were hard and dry

Carrot cake : Looks nice and dark but a tad bland and no Oomph

Pan Fried Yam cake : Ho-hum

Fried Chicken wing : Nice, plump and juicy

Curry chicken : Looks quite good tho I didn't get to try it.

Kueh Pie Tie : Pie Tie shells were a little too thick and oily

Mee Siam : Best from the spread. The gravy was power!

Laksa : Not bad altho I maintain there's something missing from it but I can't put my finger on what it is. Mum likes it tho

Otak Otak : Ok lah.."mai hiam buay pai"

Dim sums & indian rojak : Don't waste your time there

Nonya Kuehs : The saving grace! Almost all the kuehs were decently good. My favourite is the Ondeh Ondeh. They had the right consistency that the gula melaka burst in your mouth as you sink your
teeth into it.

Tau suan : I'm a tau suan specialist and very particular
about it. This one pass on sight but not on taste. Too sweet!!!

And for the traditionalist, they've got Movenpick ice cream to top it off.

I don't think the spread and quality of the food was worth my $32++ per head. Should have gone there for the a la carte lunch instead..would have been more satisfying.