Black and Ink cafe had become one of my frequent hangout places. I'm always here to try out new items on the menu. The boss, Roy, constantly introduced new pastries, new burgers choices and gelato flavours in his cafe. There bound to be at least one item here that wows you
What I tried on this latest visit:
(1) Masala Chicken set at $8.50 (croissant at +$1) (cheese at +$1)- Boss Roy kept telling me how good this new sandwich was, strongly recommend me to try it and so I DID! First bite and I was already impressed. The croissant was very crispy, flaky and best of all it's super buttery! The usual combi was onion thyme with chicken masala but I upgraded it to croissant, definitely the right choice. Chicken thigh slices were tender, the masala meat sauce was really savoury. I request for cheese to be added and love the warm melting cheese moments! If you're not fond of chicken, Black & Ink also serves egg mayo sandwiches.
Other than cakes, lava muffins, danish and the sandwiches, Black and Ink now also invades the world of pies. Introducing us with flavours including lamb shank, beef rendang, wild mushrooms, bbq chicken and beef goulash. I gave the bbq chicken and beef rendang a try.

(2) Bbq Chicken Pie $6.50- This lovely, light buttery crust pie comes in a rectangular shape. Every time I fork in, there's generous chunks of tender chicken cubes. Bbq sauce was sweet sourish with mild spicy peppery aftertaste. A decent choice.

(3) Beef Rendang $6.50- Beef rendang, usually ate them at a Malay nasi padang stall, first time in a pie (IKR, I'm a mountain tortoise). The coconut milk aroma was fragrant. Juicy tender beef cubes were also cooked together with carrots, potatoes and chilli spices. Flavour was good but can be heavier. Spiciness level can increase too.
Both pies were quite filling, suitable as a lunch meal for ladies. I will come back for other flavours real soon!! Boss says Lamb shank was the most popular flavour

(4) Dark Chocolate Lava Cake set $8.50- First look at it didn't impress me because the plating was bad. But people always said "Don't judge a dessert by its appearance".. And true enough, the taste says it all. Thick, luscious dark chocolate slowly flows out of my lava when cut. So thick, It's a "throat choking" indulgence that chocolate lovers must definitely give it a shot. I paired mine with another scoop of banana peanut butter gelato (Top up $ because it comes with vanilla) and it's HEAVEN! It will never go wrong when chocolate, peanut butter and banana comes together. There were many other gelato choices available but do note that there will be additional charges.

(5) Pear Danish- Small and petite, it would be a great choice for afternoon snacks with coffee or tea. Having slight crisp on the outside, danish fluffy and airy inside. Not only adults love it, the sweet candied pear fruit in the center would attract kids to love it too. If you're lucky, you could get their signature apple crumble danish too (runs out fast).Verdict: A small but very nice place to chill at. Menu changes regularly so there's surprises every now and then. Cold brew, espresso cubes coming up too! Definitely a cafe that makes you feel at home and kept coming back for. Boss was too friendly to be missed and he love chatting with customers to share his life experiences.

Joyden treasures- The 3rd eatery of Joyden Concepts after Joyden Seafood and Joyden Canton. This new concept mainly presents dishes from the past with homemade secret recipes, to rendition heritage taste/ local recipes that many of us may have forgotten. Compared to the other 2 restaurants, Joyden treasures currently holds the biggest space with 6 VIP rooms and more than 200 seats available.Service staff were attentive and courteous, we were brought to our seats quickly without hestitation. We started off with ordering of drinks and trying out their homemade side dishes.
(1) Iced Apple Hawthorn Tea- A sourish yet refreshing iced drink to start with. I'm a sour plum drink lover but this was way better! I'm in love with this drink from now. Thank you Cheryl for recommending. 
For mains, we had this pipin' hot and flavourful soup to start:
(2) Double-boiled Seafood Soup in Old Cucumber $14/individual portion- Melons were specially selected of almost the same size to create this dish. The aroma was so fragrant when served. One sip down my throat and ahhhhhhh, so sweet and comforting. The soup was double-boiled with natural ingredients and seafood such as fish maw, dried scallops, abalone, mushroom, to achieve this kind of rich flavourful soup. Be surprised with a mini pork dumplings right at the bottom of your soup. 
(3) Phoenix Beancurd Skin Prawn Roll
($16s, $22m, $30b)- Fillings inside were made up of fresh prawns, century egg and salted egg. Hand chopped till minced, wrapped with the beancurd skin then deep fried till crispy. Love the exterior crunchiness of the bean curd skin but would prefer the prawns inside comes in a whole instead of minced. A whole prawn would definitely give a firmer bite and least mushy. 
(4) Steamed Red Grouper in Homemade Soy Bean Broth
(Market rate. $108 per kilo currently)- This red grouper was fresh and meat really firm. Natural sweetness of the fish alone was never enough to satisfy my tastebuds whereas I hope to get more out of it. Joyden's method was to cook the fish with soya bean broth freshly made in house, a family recipe, to give this plain fish soya bean fragrance and additional sweetness. Although great efforts were put in but it didn't impressed me, probably because I wasn't a soya bean fan afterall. Fried enoki sprinkled on top wasn't necessary though as they didn't blend in with this fish dish. It would be great as snacks individually.
(5) Crispy Fragrant Duck with Lotus-shaped Buns
($58 per whole duck)- Duck was well marinated with chinese spices, slow cooked to boil, then quick fried for the skin to become crispy. The waitress skills to scrap up the duck meat was really good and swift. I took the breast part and it was dry chewing it on its own. Not forgetting the bite-sized homemade buns made fresh daily, they were soft and fluffy too. Wrapped it with the duck meat, cucumber and pickled papaya, add the orangey tangy sweet chilli, it's more yummy.Another alternative way to enjoy the duck was to wrap the duck meat with Joyden's homemade achar. Delicious till max! 
(6) Jumbo Prawns in Traditional Dark Sauce
($26s, $36m, $52b)- Best thing about this dish, wasn't the prawns but the sesame infused gravy. Sweet, savoury fragrant soya sauce gravy that goes really well with a bowl of plain rice. Jumbo prawns tends to be over-cooked causing meat to be hard and tough but these were cooked perfectly. Prawn meat were succulent and crunchy. One piece for each of us was never enough. 
(7) Traditional Salt Baked Crab
(Market rate. $63 per kilo currently)- Various types of salt and spices were wok fried first before applying onto the crab. The seasoned crab was then baked in low temperature till cooked and served as it is in a whole. With all the shell intact, crab meat was firm and not mushy, natural sweetness of the flesh were all locked in. Although the baking process caused some drying out of the flesh but this dish was still savoury. Rating 3.5/5
(8) Malagao
($4.20 per portion)
- These chinese brownies were so soft and pillowy. Look at the air pockets they contained and you can imagine how fluffy they were. Packed with gula melaka fragrance, these squares were so yum and not overly sweet too. A highly recommended item to order if you're here at Joyden. Rating 5/5
(9) Traditional Yam Purée
($6 individual portion, $16s, $26m, $36b)
- Yam paste; an all time favourite chinese dessert which my family would definitely order if item was available on the menu. Joyden's version was with steamed pumpkin, ginko nuts, lard, chestnut bits and sugar glazed on top of the yam purée. The yam purée texture was smooth and creamy with the additional crunch from the chestnuts bits. Not sweet enough in my opinion and lacked aroma. I prefer my yam purée with only yam paste and fresh coconut milk. Simplicity was the best! Rating 3/5
Verdict: A restaurant with great ambience for family dinner and gathering. Service were very good too. Food quality were fairly good and portions definitely enough to go round. Dim sum menu was small but looks interesting, I will find time to come again to try them out.

** More food images at http://jellylovesfood.blogspot.sg

[Christmas at CreatureS]Back here at CreatureS to try out some new items on their festive menu. When I stepped into this restaurant for the second time, I'm again immersed with their pretty painted walls and my eyes still captured by the whole nicely decorated space. Greeted by the friendly bosses and staff, me and my friend were then brought to the dining area on level 2.We started off with the Christmas cocktails specially created for this upcoming festive holidays.
(1) Pink Lychee Sorbet Martini $15- A very interesting cocktail where sorbet was served in alcohol. The pink lychee sorbet texture was so fine and tasty, I wish I could request a whole tub of it. Together with martini, it was so refreshing.
(2) Passionfruit Martini $15- As told by Dennis (owner), egg white was added into this drink. Probably that explains why it was so smooth and creamy. Passionfruit juice added didn't cause any sourness at all. The chemistry between these elements made this drink turned out to taste like pomelo. It's brilliant!
(3) Honeydew Saketini $15
- Among all 3 cocktails, this was the least attractive. It tasted ordinary, like honeydew fruit juice with hint of alcohol. No wow factor in this one.
(4) Asian Spice Fries $12- A big bowl of crispy french fries tossed with curry and paprika powder. Westernized ingredients with Asian touch, a great choice of snacks to go with my drinks. Skip the tartar sauce, the fries were good on its own.
(5) At Rattanakosin $18- Inspired by vacation at Thailand, this salad was zesty, slight spicy, with very fragrant lemongrass aroma and aftertaste. This taste will definitely bring you back to the sweet memories of Thailand. Other than the lovely colors, the glass noodles were firm and prawns very fresh. Cabbage and almond flakes also gave the extra crunch, together with the fragrant fried shallots, it's a great appetizer to start with.
(6) Creatures Laksa $24- A generous portion of laksa filled with prawns, chicken thigh meat, fishcakes, quail eggs and tau pok. Gravy was whipped up with thick coconut milk and spices but it wasn't spicy at all. I would say "a kid's friendly" dish. You could mixed in the ball of chilli provided to get the spiciness raised. Lotsa mini onion cubes were cooked together in the laksa gravy instead of blending in together with the spices. I love the crunchiness of the onions each time i had the gravy. The thick gravy can get abit jelat after continuous consumption, I suggest Creatures to fine tune it. Mixture of yellow noodles and rice noodles were used instead of the usual rice noodles alone but yellow noodles got mushy after soaked in the gravy.
(7) Kong Bak Pau $22- A homely dish I would call it, with pork belly and quail eggs braised in the dark soya sauce. Pork belly slices could be stew longer for more tenderness and "melt-in-the-mouth" effect. Best part was the skin and the soft fats, very springy/Q, I felt myself loaded with collagen. Chinese spices used for base gravy could increase also to get a more fragrant and distinctive aroma. Gravy would be nice to go with a bowl of rice too. Consume this dish straight after served, otherwise the lotus buns texture would be very hard when cold.
(8) Baby it's cold outside (Peppermint Mocha) $7- An espresso with peppermint and hand grounded chocolate. Coffee was semi strong and smooth. The grounded chocolate neutralizes the bitterness and the minty aftertaste made me felt very festive!
(9) The Enchanted Forest $14/slice- Derived from the Blackforest cake recipe, Creatures did some changes and created their own. Creatures' version was Kitsch mousse on top with chocolate sponge cake laid below, surrounded by pitted dark cherries and sprinkled with chocolate flakes. The mousse was very smooth and creamy, surprisingly not sweet and best consumed chilled. Be surprised with the small amount of lava jam flowing out when your fork reaches the center of this cake. A Christmas dessert that's definitely worth the calories.
(10) Creatures Chocolate Cake $18/slice- Espresso Chocolate Sponge sprinkled with a pinch of Pink Himalaya Sea Salt, served with Coconut Ice Cream and Homemade Salted Caramel. The signature cake was really choco-licious, 70% bitter dark chocolate, heavy and dense, best pair with the coconut ice cream. Sea salt did its part by balancing the bitterness of the dark chocolate. As for the pool of homemade salted caramel, it was too sweet for my liking and I preferred to do without.
(11) Durian Cake $12/slice- Pandan genoise sponge cake texture was very soft and fluffy. Sandwiched between 3 layers of sponge was the luscious sinful Mao shan wang durian fillings. Each mouthful you could still bite the real durian flesh, it's da bomb! If you're a durian lover, you must definitely go for this. Limited servings each day so grab it fast!
Verdict: This restaurant gave me a very comfortable and homely feel each time I stepped in. Both bosses Dennis & KK were so friendly they really make you feel at home. This cosy, beautifully furnished place made me dine at ease. Although the prices here wasn't very pocket-friendly but humans like us should indulge in good food once in awhile. The modern fusion dishes served here were pretty tasty and worth coming back for.

If you yet to make plans for this upcoming festive season, make your dining reservations with CreatureS 62916996 and try out their modern fusion dishes.

[The Holqa - New items added]The holqa cafe recently did minor changes to their shop by adding new wallpaper, decos and increased the number of seats. New chicken wing flavours were also introduced into their menu, together with mini bite-sized burgers.
Me and my gal friends started off with their best selling item: SNS Ji.
(1) Holqa SNS Ji Wings $9 (6pcs)- Holqa's bestselling wings, coated with Holqa special blend of sweet chilli sauce and sprinkled with peanuts. Love the peanut fragrance circling in my mouth when chew. Sauce was too sweet for me and just like malt candy, too sticky and gluey to my tooth.
(2) Ninja Wings $9 (6pcs)- These wings were the kid's friendly version of Holqa's original SnS Ji. Difference? No peanuts and chilli. So sweet, I'm pretty sure kids will definitely love them and lick the sweet sauce off their fingers!!
(3) Pineapple Buffalo Wings $11 (6pcs)- Love the excitement these spicy wings gave me which eventually numb my tongue and lips. Sambal was very spicy, take at your own risk *hahahaha* Pineapple slices were from the cans, you might wanna consider eating them to neutralize the spiciness. My voted best flavour of the night.
(4) Yallow Yallow Dirty Fella Wings $12 (6pcs)- Wings tossed in very thick layer of salted egg sauce. Salted Egg sauce was sandy and you could still see bits of yolk. Savoury and flavourful, indulge before it turned cold [PS: take your photos faster]
(5) Peanut Butter Space Jam Wings $9 (6pcs)- Tasted decent but no wow factor. Wings with peanut butter jam, it's something which I could easily pull out from my kitchen.
(6) Holqa Pulled Pork Mini Burger $12 (3pcs)- Tried Holqa's pulled pork eggs ben previously, these in the mini burger uses the same meat. Pulled pork still tasted as sweet which I suggest Holqa should improve on the flavour instead and reduce the sweetness. The marinades can be heavier or pork should be marinate longer. I do love the hints of ginger from the gingered mayonnaise, unique yet interesting.
(7) Open Sesame Mini Burger $12 (3pcs) - The patty was very juicy and flavourful, tasted like homemade "ngoh hiang" which my mummy always make. Made up of mainly minced pork and prawns, the small majority of chestnut bits gave the extra crunch. 1 of the boss, Welson, told us that the secret recipe comes from his mum but he fine-tuned it umpteen times to achieve this current delish finished product. How I wish if Holqa serve these patties with rice Per share comes in 3 mini burgers and fries, delicious but rather pricey for $12.

(8) Crabbies Strawberry and Lime alcoholic Ginger Beer $9- A very smooth and refreshing beer. The beer carries a really nice strawberry aroma. Taste of ginger wasn't overpowering, only hints of it lingering in the mouth.

Verdict: Wings with asian touch, bold and creative but there's still room for improvement regardless on the flavours or time management. These wings were prepared only upon ordering therefore you might need some patience before getting your fingers on them. What's fried chicken without beer? Try out the different types of bottled beers, there's definitely 1 suitable for you. For these new items added, strengths were the homemade patties in the "open sesame" mini burgers. Holqa can consider creating new dishes with these yummy pork prawn patties. Not forgetting to mention, all the bosses and staff were nice friendly people. Do visit them for some wings if you're at near this vicinity.

The Holqa
37 East Coast Road
Singapore 428755
Tel: +65 66357010

[Chicken Up]
Chicken up started their chicken journey in year 2010, introducing casual Korean dining to the world with modern fusion Korean cuisines. From their first outlet at Tanjong Pagar, now they have expanded to 07 branches islandwide, at Tampines, Jurong East, Buangkok, Bugis, Dover & Parkway Parade respectively.It was my visit to Chicken Up and was at Parkway Parade branch. The restaurant itself was cosy, lit by dim yellow lights. Colour-painted wooden furniture were used throughout the whole space and i love the many bottles of preserved fruits on their cupboard display.
We went in a group of 13 and tried out the following 11 items.
(1) Pineapple Soju $30- Comes in a whole pineapple, the presentation was pretty indeed! Fresh pineapple fruit was blended into juice, thereafter mixed in with half a bottle of Jinro soju and ice cubes. First sip was sweet, followed by slight bitterness and pineapple pulp at the end of my drink. My first unique experience with soju.
(2) Makguksu $12- A big bowl of salad filled with cold buckwheat noodles, cabbage slaw, shredded carrots, cucumber, seaweed, sprinkled with lotsa sesame seeds and topped with a half hard boiled egg. You have to mix and toss everything together to get the best taste. Buckwheat noodles was quite al dente, firmness still there when bite and the shredded veggies gave us that additional crunch. Dressing was sourish, mild spicy, with elements of yellow mustard, Korea chilli and vinegar.
(3) Topokki with Cheese and Seafood $20- A hearty bowl of soup filled with fresh seafood such as mussels, scallops, squids, prawns, together with Korean rice cake Topokki, glass noodles and shredded cheese. Although the gochu jang (chilli paste) used for this soup was spicy but due to the generosity of seafood portion given, you could still taste the seafood sweetness in the broth despite the spiciness.
Topokki was very soft and chewy, I ate it with the melted cheese and it was yummy! Glass noodles was savoury too as they soaked up most of the soup.
(4) Ganjang Chicken Wings $12- Per portion comes in 4pcs, served in a basket, this Ganjang chicken wings was Chicken Up's bestseller. These wings were big and juicy, deep fried till crispy then dipped in Chicken Up's special soya sauce blend. The soya sauce aroma was fragrant. Although the seasonings was slight salty for me but it's definitely a great choice to flush down with beer!
(5) Yangnyum Chicken Wings $12 {4pcs}- Other than coated with Korean sweet chilli sauce, texture for these wings were no difference from the Ganjang's. Portion was the same too. The overall taste were more sweet than spicy, no wow factor, I've tasted better ones elsewhere.
(6) Bulgogi Fries $18- A basket of crispy unsalted fries, covered with generous portion of thinly sliced beef, topped with mayonnaise dressing then sprinkled with spring onions and raw onion bits. This combination was delicious. Bulgogi were well marinated with soya sauce and cooked till perfection, they brighten up the lives of the plain fries.
(7) Kimchi Fries $18- Femented Kimchi with fries didn't really work for me. I rather have them seperately. The taste was like having chinese fermented beancurd with potato. We have different opinions across the table so it's a either you "Love it" or "Hate it" snacks.
(8) Haemul Pajeon $18- This plate of seafood pancake was one of my favourite dish for the night. It comes in 4 cut squares served with their secret recipe chilli sauce dip. With squid, shrimps, bell peppers, chives mixed with Korean batter mix plus beef seasonings, they were pan fried till crisp on the outside but remained soft moist texture inside. Each mouthful was filled with fragrance from the chives, crunch from the shrimps and mild spiciness from the chilli dip. The pancakes tasted good alone without sauce, I couldn't stop my fork from getting another piece.
(9) Ugly Tang Stew $30- "Army stew" I would call it, a small pot filled chicken broth, accompanied by pork belly, luncheon meat, sausages, topokki, baked beans, enoki, spring onions, noodle, macaroni, cheese slices and a ball of Korean chilli paste. A common yet tummy-warming dish, great to have it on a cold day. I quite like Chicken Up's version because it was more spicy, their chilli paste was good! This army stew portion wasn't very big, although it says for 2 pax but may not be enough if you guys were big eaters.
(10) Jabchae $14- Another of my love, this plate of glass noodles won over my heart. Stir-fried with carrots, chives in special blend of soya sauce plus beef seasonings, these glass noodles were so flavourful and springy. Looks ugly but tastes great. Never judge a dish by its colour! Hahahaha!
(11) Watermelon Soju Shell $38- After all the heavy dishes, we ended our meal with this watermelon soju. So chilled and refreshing, with bits of watermelon flesh in it, I want MORE!

Verdict: A great place to chill at for after-work gatherings or birthdays, not really suitable for teenagers/ youngsters because it was too pricey for them to afford. Food quality was pretty good and majority portion great for sharing. Their strengths were in their special blend soya sauce and spicy chilli paste, I will come back for other dishes and bingsu when I have more budget on hand

Chicken Up
-Parkway Parade Branch-
#01-10 Parkway Parade Shopping Mall
80 Marine Parade Road
Singapore 449269
Tel: 63480460
More info at http://www.chicken-up.com