Holland Village is full of good eats and hidden finds but you can't miss out Crust Pizza to go along with some ice cold beer on a weekend night with good company. Founded by Chef Peter Augoustis, Creative Chef of Crust Pizza, who also won the International Championship at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas in 2007, six of his pizzas have won the Australian National Heart Foundation Tick of Approval for its low saturated and trans-fat, sodium, and high fibre content. That means, you can indulge in quality pizza ensuring they use the freshest ingredients they can find!I enjoyed the Crust Supreme Pizza ($25) which is their signature pizza. Who can resist the generous variety of ingredients such as Smoked Ham, Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Mushrooms, Fresh Green Peppers, Spanish Onions, Pineapple & Kalamata Olives piled on top of the thin crispy crust? This is one of the most classic pizza around and also an all time favourite for many.Seafood lovers like me can't miss out the Seafood Pizza ($28) which has lots of fresh and succulent Marinated Tiger Prawns, Scallops, Mussels. The flavours of the tomato base sauce complemented the seafood toppings very well. Topped with fresh herbs and lemon, it actually heighten the flavour of the sweet and juicy seafood!Fancy something Chinese yet still love induling on a crisp slice of pizza? The Five Spice Pork Belly ($25) pizza was what my friend I had ordered as it is rarely seen. It has a very Asian touch to it with pork belly slices marinated in the five spices overnight. The pear slices, wild rocket and balsamic glaze gave this pizza a rather unique flavour, a juxtapose of East meets West.

They have many other popular pizzas too like Wagyu Prawn and Salmon Benedict. Looks like I have to return another time to try them all. I enjoyed the cosy ambiance of this casual restaurant as I could sit by the side-walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of Holland Village. Service here was very friendly too with staffs smiling and coming by our dining table to ask if everything is ok with the pizza. Crust Pizza is one place worth chilling out if you do not like noisy atmosphere like the Wala Wala pub nearby.

Last week, I brought my friend to The Patio for lunch as she mentioned that she is 1/8th Peranakan that came from her great-grandma. Being 1/8th peranakan, she has mastered some of her dishes herself and enjoys her great-grandma's cooking. Since rarely I've got a chance to try traditional Nonya dishes, we decided to do lunch over at The Patio and allow my friend to share with me some of the "must-have" nonya favourites!Tucked away along a stretch of shophouses at Greenwood Avenue located along Bukit Timah, this enclave of cafes, bistros and restaurants thrive mostly on weekday dinner and weekend crowd as it was very quiet on a weekday noon. It was my first time to The Patio and locating it wasn't difficult thanks to the colourful signboard that caught my attention as well as the HUGE "PERANAKAN" banner hung outside. I knew I am in for a mouth-watering, lip-smacking lunch with signature dishes printed on the banner at the entrance.Warming up our tummies, we had the Itek Tim ($18) recommended by owner, Kelvin. The huge pot of soup served in a claypot kept at a nice constant temperature as we dine. I enjoyed it as the soup wasn't too salty and the mix of salted vegetables and tomatoes were very appetizing. What's more, I was very surprise at the generous portion of duck which bones slipped off from the meat so easily. A lot of effort must have went into brewing this fantastic homely soup. 2 thumbs up! Something for us to nibble on before the mains were served, my friend wanted me to try the Nonya Ngoh Hiang ($5) which is different from those "crappy low class" ones served at vegetable rice stores. Served with a sticky sweet sauce at the side, I must say this nonya's version of 5 spice minced pork roll is the REAL DEAL which you have to try! THe quality minced pork used was lean, has a nice bite with a hint of 5 spice aroma. Unlike those cheap ones where they stuff flour into it. Oh, the bean curd skin was thin yet managed to keep those mince pork nicely wrapped. I must sneak into the kitchen to steal the recipe from owner-chef, Emily, one of these days!

[VDO:5]Here comes the highlight and soul of nonya cuisine, the Ayam Buah Keluak ($15). The first thing that got my attention was the huge black oval looking things that doesn't look too appetizing. Known as the Buah Keluak, these Indonesian black nuts are notorious and has an acquired taste. Being adventurous, my dining partner taught me how to eat it, by digging out the sticky black stuffs within with a tiny spatula provided and mash it up with white rice and eat it. It tasted nutty, sour and has a slight after taste of bitter pistachio. Not too bad, I thought! The dish was accompanied by stir-fried chicken in assam and chilli paste so it has mild spicy-sour flavour. If you need one 1 meat to go along with your rice, this would be the one!I'm not too much of a fan of pork belly but this Babi Pongteh ($15) is highly recommended too. Braised with mushroom and potato stew, I thought this will be as oily as the Chinese braised pork belly. To my surprise, it wasn't that bad when I sank my teeth into the tender, succulent pork belly that many out there would die for. The meat retained it's flavour yet embraced the sweetness of the mushroom. I couldn't resist but helped myself to a second slice of these oh-so-heavenly braised pork belly. Mmmmm....

Although my dining partner still prefer her great-grandma's cooking, both of us agreed that the food here was good nevertheless. We enjoyed ourselves and the owners, husband and wife team, Kelvin and Emily, came out to chat with us to ask for our feedback on their food. Emily revealed that she is a Peranakan and these are her family recipes as she cooks these for her family at times. The service staff was very proactive as we get our glasses of ice water refilled frequently.

If i'm craving for Peranakan food some other day, I'm definitely heading back for more. Maybe for some Bakwan Kepting Soup, Rempah Udang and Chap Chye.

I was hanging around Parkway Parade Shopping Centre and was wondering where to have lunch. Feeling famished as I haven't had breakfast, I decided to try out Toby's The Dessert Asylum for lunch as I love the ambiance of dining in an open concept casual restaurant under the bright natural sunlight coming through the clear glass panels. That also means it is perfect for food photography!

The lunch crowd on a weekday wasn't that bad and the attentive staff came to me and seated me in a cosy corner as I was dining alone. It wasn't that noisy and those around dining were mostly taitais who had just completed their shopping business and working execs having lunch meeting. I would say it is very conducive for students to hangout too!Coming back to the food, I didn't know what to order but the German & Cheese Bratwurst ($16.95) caught my eyes. Served with potato salad as the side, it went well with the sausages as it balances the flavour. The German sausage tasted pretty decent but the Cheese Bratwurst was a little too salty for my preference. Thankfully, the caramelized onions help to balance the taste and overall, it pleased my palate as well as my appetite. Still feeling hungry, I had the Toby’s signature Deluxe Burger ($14.95) which it’s stacked generously with layers of bacon, cheese, beef patty, onion ring, lettuce and tomato. It looks really deliciously overwhelming and I can’t wait to work my appetite on it. Served with French fries, this is perfect for any burger junkie out there who have a love for classic Western cuisine. The bacon is a little too salty but the rest were good. The home made beef patty was nicely done, succulent and juicy!

So it seem that Toby’s don’t only serve good desserts but also has pretty delicious mains as well. The staffs were very nice to offer ice water but during busy hours, they tend to forget to refill ice water for the guests. I’ll definitely come by another time to check out their highly raved desserts and maybe a few other mains which interest me.

Where else in Singapore is the best place where can you find authentic Thai cuisine? If you would ask me, I would say that it is none other than our Little Thailand over at the Golden Mile enclave where our Thai friends gather at every weekend for booze and delicious Thai delights! There are so many Thai restaurants and eateries situated around this area which will leave you totally confused for choices too.Located next to Golden Mile Complex, lies a gem at the entrance of Golden Mile Tower. From the exterior of the restaurant, one can tell that this place has a very strong Thai influence. My half-Thai godsister used to work around there and brought me to this place one even for dinner as I was craving for Thai food. So here we are, checking out some of their local Thai specialities.Beer Thai House Restaurant is opened by Mr Somsak, an award-winning chef in Thailand, serving up authentic Thai food which has captured the stomachs of many locals and tourists. This restaurant also have received several commendations and awards from the Royal Thai Embassy. Ever since, many Thai officials and dignitaries visiting Singapore have been patronizing this cosy family restaurant frequently.

The restaurant interior feels grand like a sit-down Chinese banquet style restaurant but the items on the menu were pretty much affordable with some selections similar to Thai-Chinese ze char style. Kicking off the meal, I had the Papaya Salad ($6) which is very tantalizing on my palate but it burns in my stomach after that. The salad was very fresh and crisp that complemented nicely with the chilli padi and grounded roasted nuts. Together with the tangy sauce. This salad is a great appetizing start of a meal. For those who do not take chilli too well may like to highlight it upon ordering from the friendly waitress. The Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($12) is one of my favourite dishes in the Thai cuisine. Served in a steamboat, the tom yum soup has squid, fish slice, clams and prawns in it. I would say that this is very authentic as the taste hasn't been compromised to suit our local taste buds. This is surely one authentic dish you can’t miss.Who doesn’t love something succulent and savoury with a tinge of spiciness? The Pandan Leaf Chicken ($8) is the perfect side dish to go along with your meal! The chicken breast meat were marinated and wrapped in the pandan leaves then roasted till it’s juicy and tender. It goes very well with the sweet chilli sauce too!Lastly, if you are game for something exciting, you can try the Raw Prawn Tower ($25) over here. Served cold on shaved ice with the shells on, this little thing is ready to go right into your mouth. Before that, there’s also bitter gourd and a huge slice of garlic which you’re suppose to eat it together for those who are more adventurous.The spice from the raw garlic was strong and pungent. Thankfully, they have fried shallots and their special Thai sauce to dip with. The prawns were very fresh without any fishy scent and the fried shallots added a crispy texture as well as aroma to the raw prawns. After eating a few, I still feel that this dish is quite an acquired taste and texture for some.

Overall, it was an eye-opening experience dining at Beer Thai House with so many more unique Thai dishes to try on the menu which we don't get it elsewhere. The service was affable with the waitress checking on our water whenever she walks past and tops it up almost immediately, which was great as some of the food were really spicy. The chef himself came out to greet guests with a smile although he can only speak Thai.

If you're in for something exciting and to explore a deeper depth of Thai cuisine, this restaurant is worth checking out! ;)

Shifted over from Science Park previously, the Heartbeat of Seoul has been attracting crowd, especially young ones on level 7 of Orchard Central with the popular K-pop hype. Sarang, which means “love” in Korean, is here to spread some love in the air with their group of young and dedicated chefs from Korea. I was there for lunch one day and I was greeted by very friendly staffs at the entrance in Korean with a smile.
Since I was dining alone for lunch, I sat the bar dining area under those huge "big ass fans" (pardon me but that's the actual name of it!) which kept me cool in the heat of the day.Teasing my palate, I ordered the Fresh Kimchi (Geotjeoli kimchi) $4.80. Indeed it was Sarang’s signature freshly tossed kimchi as it wasn't too sour compared to the preserved ones I had previously. Appetizing, crunchy, spicy yet light in flavour. Perfect start!My usual favourite over at Sarang, I can't resist having the Army Stew (Budae Jjigae) $12.80 which has a generous Kimchi, Sausage, Spam and Pork served in Seoul’s favourite hotpot. Excellent with just a good bowl of sticky Korean white rice to go along with it. Oh yes, more the leftover kimchi from my appetizer goes all into this hotpot to spice things up even more! It is said that the US army pass on this recipe to the Koreans during the Korean War era from canned spam and sausages and I was able to have the exactly same replicated one, except mine is with pork.

It was a delightful and light hearted lunch with of course, K-pop songs playing in the background which brought up the atmosphere. The young Korean mixologist at the counter was very friendly too to chat up with customers. I guess dining at a Korean restaurant is not just only on the food, but also the atmosphere and service too! Sarang is definitely a place worth revisiting for affordable Korean cuisine and great ambiance!