How on earth did this shop manage to hide from me this past one yr? This i could not comprehend. Hey come on. I have been a regular in Tiong Baru, Sin Hoi San was like an old neighbour and I thought I even knew the stray cats! But Centre Ps just had to allude me. With so much rattling on about this little cakeshop, I was like a bee to pollen. When I found, I said ahhhhh.... tot that used to be a hardware shop or something.

I wasn't very lucky when I arrived. On the displays were only 4 slices of cakes. Since their anniversary promotion thingy (4 for $21) was still on, I had to grab that 4, right? What were left were the new york cheesecake, the pisa, grand cru royale and the ebony ivory. Well, you can see the last 2 cakes here because the other two quickly made their way to my tummy before I could snap. Overall, the cakes are good. Rich, that is the way I like it. And sweet. What's the point of desserts if they are not rich and sweet? And since their macarons were looking so cute and nicely, I couldn't resist buying a box of 5 ($10). Don't ask me if the macarons are nice coz I'm gonna eat them later tonite. Somewhat, I am not convinced that Centre Ps is that good. I must come back for more cakes!!

And thanks for tempting me. Heh!

Situated between TCC and a japanese robayaki restaurant at Robertson Quay, it is easy to miss Chiara. This little restaurant can sit at max 15 diners inside and has 1 or 2 tables al fresco. From the outside, Chiara does not look very 'appetizing'. I know some people (myself included) like to peer inside restaurants to see what diners are eating. Looking at real food on plates beats those pictures on the menu (more so for those menus with only words).

The interior is quite dimly lit with yellow hue lights, bring out the intimacy ambience in this small establishment. The service staff are courteous and attentive. Iced water is served, together with complimentary bread with olive condiments. There is a wine list which is pretty thick, listing many varieties ranging across continents. The chefs are Austrian, so you can expect a good showing Austrian wines on the menu too. For the record, we had an Austrian house white which cost about $16.

Chiara does not have an extensive food menu. Similar to places like Sage or Ember, there are about 3 choices for starters, 4-5 for mains, a few more for pasta. I totally do not mind the menu as I always believed in quality over quantity. Sometimes less is good. We started with the Pan Fried Foie Gras with almond bits ravioli and the Mesclun saladon Mozzarella cheese. The FG was such a generous portion, but lacked the crispiness of the pan fry. The almond bits ravioli, in my view, does not add much to the starter as it does not pack any punch in terms of flavor. The skin of the ravioli was also slightly thick to the bite. I would have preferred something like granny smith or raspberry ravioli, something tangey to cut the oiliness. Not exactly a fantastic dish, but I applaud the freshness and the portion of the liver (6.5/10). The salad on the other hand was more flavoursome, with the dressing complimenting the cheese very well. The pesto drizzle on the mozzarella also bring another dimension to the dish.

For mains, we had the Kurobuta Porkchop and the Tagliatelle with beef tenderloin in truffle sauce. The pig was huge. It contained about 8 pieces of loin meat and large pork rib served with mash and ratatouille. It wasn't that the Kurobuta was not good, just that it really gets boring chewing on meat after meat. Furthermore there's a challenging pork rib to be finished. I have no problems using my bare fingers at BKT stalls but at Chiara, I could not fanthom doing that. The tagliatelle, aka mee poh, was good. Al dente to the bite, it was soaked with the rich truffle cream sauce with generous portions of tenderloins. The beef was done very nicely, medium I presumed. Parmesan shavings topped the dish. 15% off with Citibank cards. This is where I like their service and attitude as the waitstuff clearly asked if I would use a Citibank for payment.

What does APSD mean to you? Arterial Penile Severe Dysfunction? Hmm…. At Casa Verde, it means Antipasti, Pasta, Secondi and Dolci. The set dinner at Casa Verde allows a selection of APSD and all of these cost only $58.50. Here's a piece of information I am offering you here which is important and close to your hearts. All the prices are net. Svcchg and GST are all priced in. And what's more? If you love your wines, they are sold at 50% off per bottle till the end of Oct. 2 more days, heh!

So finally I thought I could visit some Les Amis related restaurant without leaving my arm behind. And also I thought there would be no reservations required since its still so new and of all places, located at ulu Botanical Gardens visitor centre. Walked in without reservations I did at nearly 8pm. It definitely did not bode well when the manager gave me a sad look when I mentioned I did not make any reservations. "Sorry sir, we are full." Darn, I have been watching too much Anthony Bourdain to act so foolhardy. Not one that easily gives up, I managed to lodge myself into their waiting list after leaving the cell number.

My perseverance paid off. After half an hour, we got a table. But mind you, they did not call. It was yours truly who was eagle eyed enough to spot some cleared tables and went to approach the staff. That evening was a rush for the staff. The restaurant was full. Staffs were busy running around pouring wines and serving plates. The chef, Lucio, was churning out pizzas after pizzas over the see through kitchen with the huge oven behind him. Good, I can see and learn how he makes pizza (making mental note).

Knowing that the wines cost only half than they should, I got a bottle of 2007 Masi, Masianto White. Cost $90 on the menu, but only $45 from my wallet. It was quite light and crisp. Now to the APSD. The set dinners, though had a good selection, do not contain pizzas. Remember what the P stands for? Pasta. So thoughts ran through my mind. The chef has been killing me softly ever since I was waiting hungrily for 30 min for a table. That APSD looks really good value. Luckily there were 2 of us and so problem solved. One APSD and a Pizza Frutti de Mare (Seafood pizza). As you know premium water is out for me, I was glad that they offered iced instead. 'A' was the Squids and prawns salad with mango and fresh coriander. The prawns and squids were fresh and crunchy on the bite. The mango dressing was great. So sweet and yummy, carrying a little tange with it. ‘P’ was Rigatoni with braised veal cheeks and mushroom ragu. This pasta only tasted so-so. Personally found the rigatoni too thick, although it was well al dente. It gets boring halfway through. ‘S’ was the Pan fried sea bass with spicy crust and a saffron sauce served on mash and greens. Not a bad one as the sea bass tasted fresh, the crust gave another dimension to it. And finally Dolce. Got the Traditional tiramisu. This pick-me-up was served in a metal beaker covered with cocoa dust on the top. This little dessert had more portion of mascarpone cheese than sponge. Wetness was not evenly distributed and carried only tiny tinge of Marsala. There are better ones out there, at Serangoon Gardens. The highlight of the dinner was the frutti mare pizza ($22), smelling great and looking gorgeous. The pizza was generously topped with crab meat, squids and prawns amidst the garlic spread and tomato base. This is where I find value in the pizza. Elsewhere a seafood pizza would probably cost in the region near $30, with less generous ingredients. I just don’t hope that when I visit again next time, the price went up and the ingredients halved.

This is a fantastic place for pizzas, however I would not put my neck out for the other mains. But still, getting a 4 course dinner at a less Les Amis establishment for less than $60 is a good deal.

So this is not related to Botak Jones! Or so I thought. Well at least they are both angmohs. I thought the Botak had gone ATAS and gave up his nickname and upgraded himself to just Jones The Grocer. Botak Jones is from Land of the Free while Jones the Grocer is from Down Under. So now I know the difference.

Jones the Grocer always seem to look very busy and happening everytime I go past it. Be it day or nite, rain or shine. There are always rows of diners siting outside sipping teas and biting that sandwich. After a while I realised that actually Jones has a very good and strategic location. It is neither too far in (like Wine Company) or far too outside (like Prime). It is just there! Every mother's taxi stop and pick up their customers outside Jones. So you know its Location, Location, Location!

In a lazy afternoon where our Hindu friends were busy going around the island celebrating Deepavali, we came to Jones to nua our time away. In needing of a bite, we did the unthinkable thing this Deepavali by killing a sacred cow and got the wagyu served: grilled wagyu cube roll w poached egg, roasted tomato, bocconcini, arugula and truffle balsamic sauce on sourdough. Plainly put, its just wagyu beef sandwich with poached egg and some greens. These aussies... hai! The sacred cow was tasty and oozed much flavors. The meat succumbed easily to the knife and was so tender loving me. The poached egg atop the beef was wobbly as it was served. The runny yolk fountained the mountain of meat when we couldn't resist the temptation to poke! This is one good wagyu aussie styled! Oh do they serve a good and powderful coffee here. Strong on the brew and awakening on the aroma. #$^%@#$ so strong that I am still awake at 3am now doing up this review (%^&@#! somemore).

Once upon a time in England, if a baker sells a loaf of bread short of its weight he would face severe punishment under the law. So to prevent losing a hand, he would throw in a loaf of bread when the customers buy a dozen loaves....

Down at Rochester Park, Twelve+One is ironically a French patisserie (you know the hatred between the English and French). Perched atop the slope, the baker's dozen sits next to Cassis, which is another establishment under the same management. A little walk up from the carpark under the small drizzle in late afternoon exuded a little charm amidst those colonial landscapes.

Exterior: the whitewashed bungalow, marble tables, rattan chairs.

Interior: curtained windows, charming little cakes on display at the entrance, clean white walls.

Food: the chocolate eclair, morgane and petite 6, with 2 lattes

Service: a good waitstaff who is nice and courteous even though I am no angmoh. comes by to offer water.

Ambience: I am sold on this one.

I never thought that there was a market cum hawker centre at Cambridge Road. So that was why I nearly missed it when I made my virgin foray into Cambridge Road. Many newspaper cuttings and accolades are pasted at the stall front. told the auntie I wanted a $5 bowl of dry prawn mee and took my seat. When it came, I was greeted by prawn mee littered with fine pieces of pork lard. Mind you, the pork lard are diced nicely and fried crispily (heh)! Too bad I din have a camera then, but I tell u (pork lard lovers), this bowl of noodles alone without the prawns is already godsend! The bowl of soup with prawns glistened in red chilli oil under the lights. The first taste of the soup I found it to have a little bit of spiciness. However the flavor of the soup was strong and sweet. Prawns are slightly smaller than average in my $5 order. Compared to Hoe Nam, I think the quality of prawns here loses out. Soup wise, I tend to lean towards Hoe Nam also (Hoe Nam's has a much stronger flavor and taste). As for the noodles, I definitely will fly back here!

After lunch from Tomo, we made a purposeful trip to Nectarie down at the Cannery to round off with some sweet bites. It was a pretty hot afternoon and Nectarie was empty except for a tourist couple having some cakes and tea. On the exterior, it looked like those nice looking sweet shops illustrated in bedtime storybooks. Once you step in, you are greeted by an array of cakes finely displayed which are absolutely a savoury sight to behold. It was a difficult choice but in the end we got the Caramelized Bananas with Chocolate ($7) and another Double Chocolate Mudcake to be shared. A cuppa was ordered along as well as the waitress said there is 50% off the second cake if I had purchased a drink, provided I pay with AMEX. The caramelized cake has only one word apt to describe it. Sweet! Not in a bad way. I liked the way the bananas were caramelized in the middle. This cake is quite unique and I liked it. The mudcake had a raspberry on top laced with gold leaf. The top layer was carpeted with 'oreo-like' crumbs while the smooth chocolate layer in the middle gave a nice finish. Not bad but not unique either. I tend to compare the cakes here with Obolo as I find the two to be quite similar in terms of how the cakes are presented and showcased. On this note of comparison, I find Obolo to be more creative. When it was time for bill, I was charged the full amount. When I asked, then the same waitress told me it is AMEX Platinum that has the discount, other AMEX dun have. Well too bad then.

Tomo Izakaya loosely translates to Friend and Drinking bar. Tomo is another new addition to the ever growing (or changing) establishments in Clarke Quay. With places like Kandi Bar and Aurum, funded by bigger conglomerates, ending operations I find it courageous that restaurantuers are still dishing out new experiences to the consumers despite the gloom.

We were actually walking from Clarke Quay to Liang Court for Tampopo's ramen. But my sharp eyes caught Tomo and rest they say is history. Like the izakayas in Japan, there are seatings at the bar for drinks and low tables serve the dining customers. Tomo gives a natural feel due to much use of wood and bamboo in the design. Paper lanterns are hung around the restaurant with the words 朋友 on them. There is a mini stage at the front for live bands to sing from 9pm on certain days. Wooden pine shelves at the side hold japanese manga and lifestyle magazines for casual reading.

Set lunches are served during lunch (no ala carte) with prices ranging from $12 to $25. There are two $25 DBS special lunch box. If you pay with any DBS credit card and choose one of the DBS special, you get another free set lunch. Like a one-for-one! This is really a good deal. So common sense prevailed and we got the DBS Special Lunch Box A and the Bento Set. The DBS Special Lunch Box A contained essentially sashimi (tai, salmon and maguro), diced sauteed beef steak, mixed tempura, potato salad, rice and pickles. With the set also came along the chawanmushi and miso soup. The steamed egg was smooth and had ingredients such as fishcake, mushroom, prawn and chicken. The miso soup was very strong and had generous amount of tiny clams in it. The soup is quite salty in my opinion, but miso lovers may indulge in it. The sashimi was fresh and sliced quite generously (if you can see the pic below), almost 3/4 of a centimetre thick. Though not premium variety, the cut and freshness were worth the salt. The sauteed beef cubes came nice japanese mushrooms and the accompanying sauce added sweetness to the dish. The batter on the tempura was light. I was a little delighted that there were 2 prawns in the set with the other made up of lotus and carrot. The potato salad was average. The Bento Set is almost the same except that instead of beef it had tebagyoza which were chicken wings with added stuffings but without the bones. Found this to be just average, not fantastic at all. I took a look at the ala carte menu that is served during dinner. Otoro sashimi costs $57, chutoro costs $35, salmon $18, amaebi $20. There is also a wide variety of sakes and shochus on the menu.

The set lunches are priced quite affordably, especially with the DBS promotion. Refillable green tea cost $2 per cup. I would love to return for another visit to experience the izakaya at night, drink my sake and hear the band rock.

Well, pardon my ignorance. Initially I thought food from Thaipan have strong Thai flavors and are dished out in cooking pans.

This Thaipan is the latest F&B offering in the East. Nestled in the serenity of Changi Village, Thaipan is the resident restaurant at Changi Civil Service Club. Situated just opposite The Changi Village along Netheravon Road, it is difficult to miss Thaipan. Parking is available at open carparks next to Changi Village or inside CSC (my 3hr parking from 730pm at CSC cost only $1.69). There is actually another Thaipan, located at Mandarin Gardens which started operations 5 yrs ago. Digress a bit here. A colleague bought a condo at Mandarin Gardens sometime in 2005/2006, when the en-bloc euphoria was at its peak, hoping to get a windfall. But apparently it did not happen. Now with this kind of market, lagi no chance.

The interior of Thaipan is bright and spacious, the spaciousness being further amplified by its tall ceiling. Live fish, crabs and lobsters swam in the aquariums near the kitchen. Waitresses dressed smartly in dark uniforms. Wine glasses line the cabinets on the wall. On a Thursday evening, the restaurant had about 5 tables of customers, including ours. When we were all sat, manager Paul walked over and gave an introduction of the food that were to be served on our table.

The first that came, Poached Fresh Prawns in Chinese Herbs, was presented in a hot claypot. Bright orange prawns with herbs such as ginseng roots, red dates, wolfberries etc filled the claypot to its brim. The soup was finely executed. The herb taste was just good enough, not too strong to render it tasting like herbal soup. Live prawns were used and they are of good size and very fresh. This is a good dish to start off the evening. I wished I had more!

Next the Braised Trotter with Steamed Buns and Thaipan Special Butter Squid were served. The dish of trotter was huge, lined with bite sized steamed buns. Drenched in its own gravy, the gelatinous ter kah gave way with a little nudge from my chopsticks. Well I am not a trotters fan as I usually steer clear of the fatty skin. What I am good at is dissecting up that front leg to assess the wonderful tendons and tender meat beneath. In this dish, I was glad I found my little treasures. The way I ate it is, one mouth of meat, one mouth of steamed buns dripped with the dark braised gravy. The 7 of us at the table did not touch on the skin and fats. This ever so health conscious bunch. But then again, they are super efficient to pick up those pork lards on MPT and BCMs. Irony. The butter squid was a Thaipan special. The squids are cooked in the same way as how butter crabs would be done, with generous amount of butter, egg yolks, some spices and curry leaves. The flavor was strong and it lingered on the palate. My first impression of this dish is that it looked very messy and it was difficult to locate the squid. But I was sold on my first bite. Fantastic as it is, the butter squid is really high in cholesterol. A small portion will suffice.

The olive rice was presented next. Sitting neatly on a square plate, the portion is good for just one pax. Other condiments such as minced pork, onions and cucumber strips are included to improve the taste. I liked the fact that the raisins in the rice added sweetness to the taste. One complaint though. The sliced cucumbers on the plate were dry and hard. It would probably be better to serve with fresh sliced cucumbers together with the seeds.

The Seabass in Assam Curry arrived on the table next. The medium sized fish, was quite a sight to behold with its fiery red curry topped with mint leaves. Fish was fresh. Flavor wise, it was stronger in curry powder than assam. The tinge of assam was there but not strong enough to be the main focus. But if u like curry fish heads and the likes, this is for u. Stir fried French Beans with dried shrimps had us giving our approval to this simple tze char dish. The crunchy beans were well complemented by the hae bee, chilli padi and last but not least the pork lard!! Yes we may have given the trotter skin a miss but scramble for the lard we did.

The final main dish was the Thaipan Beehoon Crab. I gauged the size of the male crab to be somewhere 1kg. No visibility of crab roe here. The beehoon had a good wok hei and is slightly wet with the goodness of the crab gravy. On the crab, Paul informed us that the restaurant used Philipine crabs instead of Sri Lankan ones. Their rationale of using Philipine ones is that they do not suffer the fate of 水蟹, a phenomenon in Sri Lankan ones (水蟹 means skinny crab). Although the rationale is sound, the Philipine crabs lack in terms of the smooth flesh found in the Sri Lankan crabs. But at least you will not encounter 水蟹.

The dinner was rounded off with Yam Paste with Ginko Nuts. Though a common dessert dished by many chinese restaurants, Thaipan's rendition carried a slightly saltiness in its milk. Apparently it was intentional on part of the chef to be a little different from the rest of the orh nees. I admit that I found it was a little strange initially but still finished the bowl. A bit of acquired taste here.

Prices at Thaipan are reasonable and affordable, being similar to chinese tze char at coffeeshops. The food on our table would have cost about $130 for the 7 of us, less than $20 per head. I think this is a main draw of this restaurant. The chefs at Thaipan are also able whip up dishes that are off the menu, as long as they can prepare it. Apparently some customers bring their own crabs in to be cooked. The restaurant allows diners to bring their own bottles without charging corkage. With higher cost of living going day by day, I hope Thaipan can live up to its name to provide good quality food at affordable and competitive prices.

juz went there today and saw the sign.