Ma Maison, which means my home in French, started out with an outlet at Bugis Junction and soon expanded to include one at The Central. Known for its take on Japanese Western food aka fusion food, Ma Maison packs in the crowds at meal times so don't be surprised if you have to wait for a seat if you arrive without a reservation.

Located just a few units down from Wakashachiya on the third floor, Ma Maison's interior is reminiscent of a quaint little European cottage with lots of wood, overhanging crockery and shelves of various liquids. The cozy cottage feel is further reinforced by replica ornaments of yesteryear placed along the wooden window sill. If you are lucky enough, you can get a window seat which overlooks Clarke Quay and the river, but there's probably only 5 such tables or so.

Doteni Hamburger - A signature dish of Ma Maison, the Doteni Hamburger was essentially a beef and pork patty covered with a fried egg, topped with beef tendons and draped with a demi glaze sauce that has been left to simmer for 28 days. And I liked it. The beef, though almost well done, was moist and juicy with a slightly uneven texture. The egg was perfectly done while the gelatinous beef tendon came across as a little chewy and not overly soft. Coupled with the robust sauce, it set the right note for our lunch.

Tonakatsu - After the horrendous tonkatsu experience at Wakashachiya just a couple of hours before, I was rather skeptical about the tonkatsu at Ma Maison. Those fears were put to rest as the pork cutlet turned out fine and surpassed expectations. Sure the meat wasn't kurobuta like Tampopo's, but it was still decently tender while retaining moisture and bite. There was no evident taste of oily residue either. The breaded batter could have been a wee bit thinner though, which would have made it crispier and less oily.

Beef Stroganoff with Omu Rice - My personal favourite. Who can resist tender beef slices served up in a thick savoury sauce coupled with smooth milky omelette enveloping fragrant and tasty buttery rice If I'm coming back to Ma Maison, its definitely going to be for this dish. I would prefer a little more butter to go into the rice though, which would make it heartier and of course more artery clogging.

Squid Ink Spaghetti - Honestly I didn't quite take to the spaghetti. It wasn't al dente and came across rather bland. Maybe thats the way Japanese spaghettis are supposed to taste like, unlike the richer and more robust renditions from the Italians. If you like light stuff then this dish would probably suit you but do note that squid ink leaves a dark stain on your teeth so remember to rinse!

Ristorante Da Valentino - a small Italian restaurant famed for its excellent homely Italian food and stellar service to boot. Dining at this reclusive semi fine dining restaurant presents quite a challenge as reservations are hard to come by (minimum 2 weeks in advance) and made even harder with the restrictions placed. Reservations of more than 8 pax are usually not entertained and Valentino also enforces a two seating policy, with the first running from 6pm - 830pm and the second from 830pm till closing. This effectively means that a leisurely dinner is probably out of the question, especially in large groups.

Located at the end of a short row of shophouses at Jalan Bingka, just off Rifle Range Road, Valentino can be rather inaccessible if you don't know your way around the area (shortcuts) or have your own means of transport. The interior struck me as very cosy and homely with its low ceilings, smallish dining area, decorative memorabila on the shelves and red walls decked with photo frames.

Minestrone Soup - At $5.90 a plate, I was rather doubtful about the quality of the minestrone but it was surprisingly good. With just about the right viscosity and flavour, it came across as light on the palate and was a hit amongst my dining companions.

Salmon Salad - I didn't think too much of the salmon salad, in which the salmon slices were smoked and served atop fresh greens simply because the smoked taste was conspicuously faint. Honestly, if I wanted to eat non smoked semi raw salmon, I would have gone to a Japanese restaurant instead.

Tomino Wrapped in Bacon - The Tomino, which is a typical Italian cheese that comes from Piemonte and made with cow's or goat's milk (in this case it was definitely goat), created a little stir with its nice smooth texture which was complemented by the crisp bacon. Only gripe I had was that the whole dish was extremely salty. And if you can't take the rather pungent taste of goat's milk, please refrain from ordering this dish.

Fettucine Al Granchio - The dish which I was eagerly anticipating, the squid ink fettucine with crab meat. The home made pasta was al dente and featured a rich cream based sauce with a touch of tomato that was most excellent, a fact that was accentuated further by the decent clumps of crab meat. Personally I like this better than that of Da Paolo's.

Porcini, Rucola and Prosciutto De Parma - The pizza spotted a thin crust that heaved downwards under the weight of its ingredients. Please do not be mistaken that the ingredients were plentiful. On the contrary, it was adequate at best. Personally I thought the pizza was good but not exactly the type that would wow me. I mean, how bad can mushrooms, parma ham and rocket leaves taste when eaten together

Risotto Ai Frutti Di Mare - The risotto deserved the worst dish of the evening award with its sourish overtone that reminded me of food gone stale aka chao sng. I wasn't the only one who thought so apparently. Neither the fresh seafood nor the texture of the risotto could save this dish.

Chantilly - I had requested for four of Valentino's best desserts and left it up to our waitress to decide which desserts would fit the bill. The chantilly started us off on the right note, coming across as light on the palate without the cream being overbearingly sweet.

Panna Cotta - The panna cotta's texture was reminiscent more of tofu than pudding - quivery yet firm, which isn't so bad really until you get to the taste part, which was bland and uninspiring in my humble opinion. Would have liked it much stronger.

Tiramisu - Served up in a queer shaped plastic container, the tiramisu disappointed right from the start. Even though the presence of liquer was evident, the mascarpone cheese was a tad too thick and coagulated while the sponge was dry. I had expected better.

Valentino Cake - This was one decadent cake with dark chocolate making up most part of it. There were bits of raisins and traces of rum as well, making it a sweet but dry (the sponge was dry) ending to our dinner. Could it be that the cake was left in the open for a period of time such that the sponge dried up

Food quality was a case of hits and misses and I reckon only the mains are worth the trouble. Prices for the appetisers do seem a tad over the roof while the mains are priced a notch higher than other similar restaurants. Service was great and I must say I enjoyed some aspects of the dinner.

Had lunch at Gunthers, the eponymous modern fine dining French restaurant helmed by Chef Gunther Hubrechsen, who trained under Chef Alain Passard at the 3 Michelin star L’Arpège in Paris and had a 5 year stint with Les Amis. Opened in August 2007, Gunthers has consistently garnered rave reviews from various media for its refreshing twist to classical French food.

The whole place isn't big actually, even more so the private dining room, which was slated to accomodate 24 of us. And because it was a long table, there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around which made it quite cramp (for me at least). Decor came across as simple and minimalist with dark wall tones and carefully placed spotlights - not so much the romantic ambience, but more for business.

The complimentary bread tasted like normal baguette to me, just a little chewier on the inside. Nothing special.

Amuse Bouche - I didn't quite take to the amuse bouche, which was a slice of tomato drizzled with a vanilla bean foam served with fava beans and a slice of ciabatta. The foam and vanilla beans seemed more for decoration then anything else and the tomato taste overwhelmed.

Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar - One of Gunther's signature dishes, this was quite tasty but I would have preferred my pasta to be more al dente. The chopped chives and truffle oil gave it a smooth savoury taste coupled with a fragrant truffle aroma while the chilliness of the pasta contributed a nice refreshing sensation. Apparently this dish goes for $60 in the ala carte menu, but portions are definitely much much bigger.

Poached White Asparagus, Bouchot Mussels - White asparagus is essentially asparagus that comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. No chlorophyll can be produced without sunlight hence there is no green colouring in the plant. As such, it is slightly milder in flavour and a little more tender then normal green asparagus. I thought that Gunther's rendition of this vegetable was a little lacking. The single stalk of asparagus was poached until it became overly soft and mashy. The accompanying sauce was excellent though, with a hint of cinammon that went very well with the tiny morsels of seafood.

Grilled Cote de Boeuf, Japanese sweet-corn, sauce Bordelaise - The beef was done to a perfect medium rare with a nice slightly charred exterior that hinted strongly of salt. There was one small fault though. The red wine/vinegar reduction seemed a little too rushed, resulting in a lightly sour note as you chew on the meat. I liked the grilled sweet corn that came alongside. It provided a sweet refreshing punctuation in between intakes of beef.

Roasted Black Pig from Spain (Pata Negra) - The pork was a substitute for the Grilled Cote de Boeuf in case anyone didn't take beef. But that's not to say that this dish was lacklustre in comparison. On the contrary, this was one quality piece of meat from the Black Iberian Pig, which is known for its ability to accumulate fat under its skin and between the muscular fibres. Read. Exorbitant prices. Execution wise, I thought that the pork was evenly roasted to produce a tender yet succulent piece of meat that literally left me wanting for more. The only complaint I had was that the meat was overly salty.

Fine Apple Tart a la Dragées, Havana Rum Raisin Ice Cream - Apparently Gunther's signature dessert, the apple tart's crust reminded me of the crust found in the Chinese red bean paste pancake, save for the toppings of nuts on top. The stuffing of apple chunks weren't too soft but lacked the sourish aftertaste in my humble opinion. The rum and raisin ice cream was interesting but somehow I don't remember rum and raisin tasting anything like this, or am I just a die hard alcoholic

As this was a special arrangement by Gunther's for this particular event, we were fortunate to have been able to try out so many dishes for $45 nett/pax.

And yes, back once again for dinner at Imperial Treasure Cantonese Cuisine @ Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Double Boiled Shark Bone Soup - Big enough to share between 2 people, the shark bone soup was richly flavourful without coming across as too strong and nausea inducing. The layer of sediment on my tongue was also kept to a minimal, which was definitely good.

Sauteed Scallops with Italian White Truffle Oil - I might sound like a broken record but I just love this dish. Decent sized, perfectly sauteed scallops surrounded by luscious egg white and immersed in white truffle oil - a great combination of taste and smell. Polishing an entire plate by myself is definitely a walk in the park!

BBQ Platter - Not being content with just roast goose alone, I opted for the platter, which which with a selection of roast pork, BBQ pork and roast goose. The BBQ pork or char siew, came across as insipid at first but somehow or rather, the taste slowly grows on you and it actually tastes better without the sauce that was drizzled over the entire platter.
What can I say about the roast goose except that the meat was deliciously tender and moist under a layer of crisp skin without coming across as too gamy.
However the roast pork was a little disappointing. The skin wasn't as crisp as I expected and the memory of an oily aftertaste that came about after every bite is still etched in my mind. What has happened!

Sauteed Beancurd with Mushrooms - A staple in my diet, the smooth, silky beancurd had a nice savoury taste to it with a layer of dried spinach sandwiched in between. Topped with mushrooms for that additional woody flavour. Nice!

Durian Pudding - For desserts, we had the durian pudding - Chilled and rich with chunks of durian flesh in it. Nothing short of an excellent ending to our meal and a very fattening one at that.

I don't harbour any illusions that $130 for 2 pax is anywhere near cheap. But the food is worth it. And that's all that matters, isn't it

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2012/01/imperial-treasure-cantonese-cuisine-vi.html

On account of the complimentary Peking duck, I decided with much trepidation, to give Man Fu Yuan a chance to redeem itself after my previous dim sum lunch there turned out absolutely disastrous. This time it was for dinner though.

Peking Duck - I honestly didn't expect much from a complimentary dish and to say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The duck set the tone right for the evening with its crisp skin sans the fat, wrapped in a lightly chewy/elastic crepe that reminded me uncannily of kueh. Interesting and definitely a change from the usual ones. The sliced meat did pale a little in comparison though, coming across as a wee bit too tough but at least it wasn't too gamy. Just for the record, the duck goes for $60++ on the menu.

Braised Homemade Beancurd with Live Prawn, Shimeji Mushroom and Minced Pork Sauce - The homemade beancurd had a nice savoury and mildy sweet taste to it, coupled with relatively small but fresh and sweet prawns and drizzled with a full bodied meat sauce - A simple yet appetising dish. I would have liked the beancurd a little more silky though.

Poached Asparagus with Bamboo Piths, Chinese Lyceums and Greens in Superior Broth - This was a simple yet tasty dish, with the superior broth (上汤) light yet flavourful. The asparagus, which came wrapped in crunchy bamboo pith (looked to me like fish maw at first glance), was cooked just right - crunchy and not too soft.

Mango Pudding - We rounded up our meal with a heart shaped mango pudding that was probably the sole disappointment that evening. The taste of mango was rather watered down but the sole consolation was that it didn't come across as too milky.

Red Bean Pancake - Well at least the red bean pancake fared better. Flaky exterior with just the right amount of flour, it would have been great if the red bean paste was slightly more concentrated. Still a good eat nonetheless.

I would say my perception of Man Fu Yuan has turned on its head 180 degrees after this dinner, putting me at a crossroads as to whether I should return. Prices are definitely not cheap and comparable to renowned Chinese restaurants in other hotels. Service was alot better this time round and so was the food. My take I'll be back for their dishes but not for their dim sum.