We had dinner at this familiar Teochew restaurant @ Bedok one Sunday evening.

Homemade Teochew Prawn Ball - The heh zhor was pretty nice; Deep fried till crisp on the outside with nice crunchy bits on the inside (probably from the chestnut) sans the excessive fat meat. Accompanied with a mildly sweet plum sauce.

Stir Fried Broccoli with Prawns - Competently executed, the broccoli wasn't overcooked and sported a nice garlicky stir fry whilst the prawns were reasonably sized and crunchy.Teochew Braised Duck - Thickly sliced and trickling with runny but flavourful gravy, the braised duck was tender with a nice roughness to it and flavourful. Served on a bed of sliced, relatively silky beancurd. Nice!

Beancurd with Shimeiji Mushroom - Smooth, savoury beancurd topped with minced pork and Shimeiji mushrooms. What's not to like? I could just have this with rice!

Teochew Yam Paste with Pumpkin - Ending off our satisfying meal was the orh nee, which I make it a point to order at every Teochew restaurant, regardless of how stuffed I may be. And Chin Lee's rendition is still one of the best in my humble opinion. Wonderfully smooth and fragrant without coming across as cloyingly sweet even though it seemed to be sitting in a pool of syrup. I had seconds, naturally.

Prices seem to have crept up a little but still remain relatively reasonable at about $90 for 4pax. Food quality is definitely a few notches above average and service is decent, considering the amount of part timers they hire. Reservations are highly recommended unless you don't mind dining early (530pm).

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2014/07/chin-lee-restaurant-part-ii.html

We were craving for something different on a lazy Sunday morning and made the trek far east to Changi Village for brunch at Chock Full Of Beans or CFOB for short.

As the name suggests, CFOB specializes in coffee; a drink which I seldom partake in and have absolutely zero knowledge on save for the fleeting knowledge that it exists. Tucked away in a corner shophouse along Changi Village Road, the place is packed on a late Sunday morning and you can choose to wait in line for a table or leave your contact number (the preferred option).

Omelette With 3 Fillings - We chose salmon, cheese and mushrooms for the fillings and the omelette came served with 2 thick slices of homemade toast and a toss of greens. Ingredients were a little sparse and the egg wasn't creamy enough but at such a price point ($12), I really can't complain.

Eggs Benedict - The Eggs Benedict sported a generous serving of ham but minimally runny yolks on a slice of hard toast and topped with a rather liquid hollandaise sauce. Average.Buttermilk Waffles With Caramelized Bananas - Burnt at the bottom and a tad too stodgy, the buttermilk waffles were rather bland and came with whipped cream instead of the usual maple syrup. Topped with sweet bananas that could do with a little more grilling for extra caramelization. Average.Iced Hazelnut Latte - As mentioned earlier, I know nothing about coffee but I did like the hazelnut latte, which was pretty soothing with a hazelnut tinge. But the main draw is definitely the cute 3D art, which is never quite the same even on the same day (ie. blue ribbon vs red ribbon). And at $6.50 a pop, it was worth the money and the wait, considering the effort and skills required.

Brunch set the both of us back by almost 40 bucks, which was relatively reasonable considering the quantity of food (quality was average) and of course the beautiful latte art. I understand that GST has since been incorporated so prices would have gone up a little but I'll probably be back just for the coffee and maybe to try the desserts.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2014/05/chock-full-of-beans.html

It was meant to be a catch up dinner and although my last experience at Cherry Garden was forgettable (due to the less than ideal quality and quantity of food), I decided to give the restaurant yet another chance.I was still very much taken by the classic oriental decor with the dark wooden beams, red lanterns and pavilion like dining corners. Definitely a great place for a quiet and romantic date (that's if your date is into oriental fixtures).

Peking Duck - The 4 of us started off with a side order of half a peking duck; Carved table side with both skin and flesh intact and wrapped in a relatively thin and toasted crepe.Although not exactly the "traditional" way to enjoy peking duck (which usually places emphasis on the skin), I enjoyed it quite a bit thought the skin could have been a little more crisp. Great start!Cherry Garden's Hot & Cold Sampler - We swopped the braised beef in the hot sampler in favour of roasted pork due to religious constraints on the part of my dining partners. Though crackling crisp to a fault, the roasted pork was a tad too salty and porky for my liking. The other hot sampler was a scallop with salted egg yolk which I personally found to be average due to the sweetness of the scallop being overwhelmed by the egg yolk. I like salted egg yolk but I do think its a waste of such a huge scallop.
Drunken Chicken in hua diao and rose dew chinese wine made up the cold sampler and as much as I don't fancy chilled chicken soaked in wine, this was pretty decent. Lightly chilled for a more crunchy texture, the chicken spotted a light alcohol aftertaste which went down pretty smoothly.

Superior Broth with Shrimps, Scallops, Crabmeat, Conpoy, Maitake Mushrooms & Vegetables - Flavourful yet light with a variety of fresh ingredients, the soup was good to the last drop!

Braised Twelve Head Whole Abalone & Sea Cucumber with Premium Oyster Sauce - The twelve head abalone was good for 2 mouthfuls; Chewy and not overcooked. Served up with a piece of sea cucumber on a bed of vegetables. Nicely flavoured from the oyster sauce.

Wasabi-aioli Prawn with Salad of Duck Julienne & Jellyfish - Sporting a thin coat of flour smeared in wasabi, the prawns were deliciously crunchy without the wasabi taste coming on too strongly. The accompanying salad of duck and jellyfish was pretty nice as well; Firm slivers of duck coupled with the crunchiness of jellyfish.Oven Baked Honey Marinated Cod Fillet with Black Pepper - First looks, the cod looked uncannily like a piece of salmon due to the reddish exterior. But it was cod alright, boasting a velvety and naturally sweet flesh accentuated only by the honey marinate and the mildly peppery and aromatic black pepper sauce.

Steamed Marinated Chicken & Wild Rice Dumpling - A smallish rectangular block of mildly sweet, semi sticky rice with a moist layer of chicken wedged between, topped with roe and served in a rich and rather thick, savoury gravy. Tasted very similar to delicious glutinous rice sans the oil. One word. Excellent.

Homemade Organic Black Bean Pudding with Japanese Sesame Ice Cream - In typical Cherry Garden style, our dessert came served atop a container of dry ice submerged in water to give off that mystical, smokey effect. Theatrics aside, the black bean pudding was nicely quivery and immersed in what looked and tasted like a pandan infused broth. Adding to the texture were tiny chocolate balls, which gave it a nice crunch whilst the sesame ice cream added a chilly yet distinctive sesame perspective. Definitely ended the meal on a high (and sweet) note.

4 set dinners and half a duck for 4 hungry diners. The total cost? A cool $553. Sure, that hardly qualifies as cheap in any sense but the food quality has improved significantly since my last visit and is on par with some of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore in my humble opinion. Service was quite accommodating as well and all in all, it was a great dinner. Looking forward to a return visit soon!

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2014/05/cherry-garden-part-iv.html

Restaurant week was upon us once again and the venue of choice this time round was Clifford, which I had a pretty good experience at for brunch quite a while back.Complimentary Bread - Baguettes and multigrain buns served with a side of smooth butter and deliciously sinful duck rillette (it was a tad dry though) started the meal rolling. My personal favourite? The baguette; crusty, light and served warm.

French Onion Soup - Sweet without coming across as overly heavy but a little lacking in cheese in my humble opinion. Still a decent French onion soup nonetheless.Foie Gras Pan Seared with Cresses Salad Fresh Fig and Figs Jam on Brioche - I thought the foie gras was pretty good but could do with a little more searing to achieve a lightly crisp surface. The buttery goodness from the brioche complimented the sweetness of the foie gras but this is seriously a heart stopping combination. Portions are a little small as well for a $12++ top up charge.

Whole Lobster Angel Hair With Fresh Tomato, Sweet Basil and Lobster Butter Sauce - This required a top up of $25++ and even though the lobster chunks were aplenty and crunchy, the angel hair pasta was a little too soggy, probably the end result of sitting too long in the tomato sauce. One other issue I had was that the tomato sauce, whilst lightly tart and zesty, became a little boring after a while and the whole dish lacked variation in flavours. It was just tomato, tomato, tomato. I couldn't even make out the sweetness of the lobster.

Clifford Signature Duck Confit - I had this during my previous visit and remembered it to be very good. And it didn't disappoint. Crisp on the outside but moist and tender on the inside. No truffle mash this time round though.

Slice Of Chocolate - This was essentially a chocolate hazelnut tart served with passion fruit sorbet and chocolate crumble. The chocolate was rich with a nice hazelnut taste but didn't across as too heavy. I personally liked the crunchy wafer layer wedged in between. And the passionfruit sorbet wasn't as sour as I had expected it to be. Pretty nice dessert!

After the top ups, the bill for 2 came to about $173, which sorta straddled the line on the value for money criteria. Food at Clifford was a case of hits and misses but the entire experience was generally a positive one. Coupled with great ambience and good service, I might return but probably only for brunch or restaurant week where it won't cost me an arm or a leg to dine there.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2014/04/clifford-part-ii-restaurant-week-dinner.html

When we first heard that Chef Sebastian Ng was leaving Ember at the end of April to helm a fast-casual dining concept restaurant under the Unlisted Collection group (which Ember is a part of as well), we rushed to make reservations for lunch on a weekday afternoon.Complimentary Bread -The ever so delicious complimentary bread - warm and crusty with nuances of cheese. 2 servings is definitely not enough!

Pan Roasted Scallop with Parma Ham, Citrus and Tarragon Vinaigrette - The scallops were quite disappointing this time round. Coming across as soft, wrapped around with a piece of limp Parma ham and soaked in what seemed to be a small pool of oil and water. A little discomforting to say the least. At least the side salad was decent.Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom & Smoked Bacon Ragout, Truffle Yuzu Butter Sauce -My default choice of main at Ember, the pan seared chilean seabass. Silky with a lightly crisp golden top, sitting on a wonderfully creamy and flavourful mixture of smoked bacon ragout, mushroom and truffle yuzu butter sauce. I practically licked the plate clean.

Crispy Caramelized Pear Tart with Homemade Baileys Ice Cream - Flaky pastry filled with thin slices of pear and topped with crumble, served alongside a scoop of smooth baileys ice cream that didn't come across as too overwhelming. Great combination although I'm sure vanilla ice cream would have done the trick as well.

Prices have crept up since my last visit. Set lunch was still at $42++ but there were a lot of top up options available (ie. the chilean sea bass was an additional $3++). What else can I say? Go before it's too late!

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2014/04/ember-part-viii-final-hurrah.html