People working in the CBD are often rushing for time and busy attending meetings one after another and often end up skipping meals or stuffing themselves with unhealthy fast food.

I was at Raffles Place one evening and decided to have a quick and healthy bite, so I took out my smartphone, launched the "OpenRice Singapore" app and used the "Nearby" function which ultimately led me to the World's First VeganBurg!Entering the restaurant, I felt like I was in a Australian casual bistro. With brick-like industrial feel and wooden planks kind of tables and benches, the entire atmosphere was rather chill and laid back. Complete with lounge ambient tunes playing in the restaurant, this is the perfect dinner place after a long day of work.

Although the seating capacity is small (about 20-25 paxs), the place was clean and nicely designed, making it cozy yet intimate especially during the quiet dinner hours.
At a corner of the restaurant, there hung a picture saying "Welcome to the World's First Vegan Burg". I wonder how healthy fast food taste like over here so I went over to the counter to make my order as it is a self-service restaurant just like other fast food joints.
So I ordered the Mustang Relish Burger ($5.90) and topped up an additional Seaweed Fries and Citron Cooler (+$3.90). Besides Seaweed Fries (served without salt), they have a choice of Battered Broccoli too, perfect for those on low-carb diet.

The Citron Cooler tasted just like non-sweetened lime juice which is more on the sour side. It was to my preference but for those who do not like can choose the other drinks like the Lemon Loco and Miami Peach.

For $9.80, I thought the portion looks slightly on the pricey side compared to other fast-food burger joints. Let's have a closer look at the burger which was recommended by the friendly staff.Unveiling the burger from the rustic looking wrapper, lies a huge burger layered with thick chucks of vegetables sandwiched between 2 nutritious wholemeal grain buns. I love the overall outlook of the burger at first glance as the ingredients and colors looked really fresh.
Taking a closer look at what's inside, there were (from the bottom upwards) breaded soy bean patty, mustard sauce, fresh Aussie red onion rings, pickles and iceberg lettuce. Taking a bite into it, I enjoyed the overall crisp, crunchy texture with a delicious and uplifting tangy flavour from the mustard. Although there wasn't any meat, the yummy soy patty tasted just right without the need for additional seasoning.

Finishing my meal, I wiped my tray clean yet not feeling gelat nor sinful. It was delish and the portion, I have to say, was just right to fill my stomach.

Kudos to the World's First VeganBurg and I'll definitely be back to chomp down more yummy burgers like the Creamy Shrooms ($7.90).

Feeling the lack of choices for lunch one afternoon, I decided to head over to Domani at Ngee Ann City to check out the place as I came across a few people recommending me this place previously. I thought since I am in a mood for something new, I went over with a friend to find out for myself on what's the deal about this Spanish-Italian casual dining restaurant.The entrance looks classy and welcoming. Look, there is even a welcome message at the door there to display their warm hospitality. I thought it is very thoughtful to display the menus nicely to let diners know what are on promotion.The interior of the restaurant has a certain charm of a Italian home and the floor tiles makes me fee like I was dining at a patio. Hanging glasses and greens coming down from the top added a light-hearted, cozy and casual touch to the entire interior.

The service staffs were very attentive and were quick to take our orders. Within a minute, our orders were sent to the kitchen but we waited quite a while for the food to be served. I guess it was due to the weekday lunch crowd taking advantage on their set lunch promotion.I was very please when my Breaded Fish & Chips ($15) arrive. It certainly look good with the huge serving especially the nicely breaded fish fillets. Yes, 2 fish fillets! It was served with a good amount of thick cut fries at the bottom that was a tad on the saltier end, garden salad and tartar sauce.Cutting open the fish fillet, I thought the breaded layer would be thick but to my surprise, white, moist, thick and fresh fish fillet hides under the thin and crisp crust! I though the dory fish fillet looked and tasted great and I have no complains about it. What a delicious steal I would say!My friend had the Shrimp Aglio Olio ($16) which look rather uninteresting with the pale pink shrimps. Not only that, the spaghetti wasn't cooked al dente which made it tough and hard to chew. It was rather disappointing considering this dish cost more than the good Breaded Fish & Chips.The Aglio Olio came with a complimentary Pumpkin Soup which had nothing special to describe about it. Just like those canned ones, pretty mediocre.

Overall, the food and service at Domani was alright. I would think twice coming back again but definitely not during the busy lunch hour when it is full house. The service would have been perfect if the kitchen can speed up the orders and perhaps a smile on the face of the service staffs.

Situated along the river walk of Robertson Quay, Bridger's Cafe is hidden gem as neither many people have heard of it nor been there. Tucked at a quiet corner of Watermark, it was a surprise find for me as I initially wanted to visit Kith Cafe instead that is just next door. However, Kith Cafe decided to close their doors at 7pm sharp on a rainy day and I decided to check out Bridger's Cafe instead.Initially, the owners told me that they are closing soon too but they were very nice to extend their opening hours just for us to fill our empty stomachs. The quaint cafe looks very cosy unlike any other commercialized cafes with seats inside and outside for those who wishes to take in the cool evening breeze by the waterfront. There's a small blackboard inside the cafe too with the menu written on it, giving a very rustic and comfy feel of the entire setting. Looking at it, it allows walk-in customers to have a good gauge of the overall menu here, which is rather affordable. Without further ado, let's find out how the food taste with such an attractive price given the excellent waterfront location!I don't really know how to classify this cafe as they serve a variety of cuisine which the owner says they are good at. The male boss recommended me the Turkish Eggs with Premium Sausages and Mozzarella Cheese ($5.80) which came served in a pan but what's with the aluminum foil? That aside, Turkish eggs actually refers to the ingredients that are topped on it which includes the tasty sausages, tangy tomato sauce and spring onion on cheesy mozzarella omelette. It is served with freshly toasted heart-shaped toast. Yumz! Perfect for an all-day breakfast. Coming to the Smoked Salmon Carpaccio Salad ($12.50), it was one of the favourite among my fellow diners that night. Thickly sliced smoked salmon slices went so well with fresh crisp greens and toast at the side. Complete with a drizzle of appetizing lemon shoyu dressing, it has a touch of Asian yet keeping it citrus and tangy. Oh, don't forget about the nicely poached egg at the side too which can be requested to be semi-poached for those who like it runny. Perfect light meal on its own!The husband owner of this place told us that the recipe of this Saito San Chix Burger ($14.80) came from a Japanese chef, hence the name "Saito San". The chicken patty of this burger is homemade and stuffed with brie cheese for that, soft, smooth and creamy texture when pan-fried. It was orgasmic when I heard about it as I am a fan of cheese. Although the patty don't look too good on the outside, it was delicious with that rustic home-made touch to the entire burger.

The food was great overall at this hidden gem with awesome owners who are super lovely and friendly. I can feel that they treat this cafe as their baby by already extending their opening hours for us and ensuring all of us enjoyed our dinner. Excellent thoughtful service which is hard to find around Singapore these days. I'm certainly telling my friends about this place as they deserve more exposure for a cafe with reasonable price and unpretentious quality home-made food!

Not too long ago, I got to know some Korean friends after a leisure trip to Seoul and Jeju and we decided to catch up when they were in town recently. Since they had already tried most of the Singapore delicacies, I decided to bring them to a Korean restaurant around the popular Telok Ayer enclave which is filled with countless Korean restaurants ranging from Bibimbap to Barbeque.We arrived at Star Korean Restaurant which is located at Far East Plaza, just a few doors away from Woo Jung, a popular spot for Korean BBQ among expatriates working here. If you're just happen to be passing by, you will think that is it just another Korean restaurant which doesn't raise an eyebrow. Entering the restaurant, it looks simple yet has a very cozy home-like atmosphere. What I like is that this place doesn't smell as bad like some Korean BBQ restaurants as they serve ala carte and hotpot dishes. Later did I know that this place is owned by a Korean lady boss (who is camera shy) is trained in martial arts and currently holds a black belt (my female friends casually chatted with her.) Better not mess around with Korean ladies, I thought.The friendly restaurant staffs, a mix of Koreans and PRC Chinese seated us comfortably and served us a spread of Korean Banchans (not all pictured) and told us that we can request for free refills. There were a variety from kimchi, pickled vegetables, beansprouts, egg omelette, anchovies and fish cake. They were very refreshing, appetizing and it is free-flow but in Korean culture, please do not waste the food as all these are specially homemade and they value every effort that goes into the preparation process. The centre-piece of our dinner table lies a huge hot-wok (instead of a pot) over a gas stove with the drool-inducing Kimchi Hotpot Stew with Dumplings ($35). It looks like the Korean Army Stew which has ingredients like kimchi, tofu, hotdogs, chilies and on top of that, pork belly and 3 humongous meat dumplings! Although the dumplings are few, the rest of the portion was huge and good for 4-5 adults to share. Delicious, satisfying and of course, SPICY! It is best to eat it along with rice so those chilies won't burn your stomach that badly. Since they don't serve barbeque meat here, they have something very similar just that it has been marinated, boiled and neatly sliced. No oil splattering, no stinky stench, no cooking. All nicely prepared on a platter with fresh vegetables, garlic, onions and chilies accompanied by kimchi and special hot sauce that taste quite similar to assam. Eating this is similar to Korean BBQ. Grab a leafy lettuce, place a slice of pork belly on it accompanied by spices and sauces to season it to your preference. The boiled meat wasn't too salty and retained its moist and succulent texture when bite into. Yummy! Craving for more, we ordered the Korean Popcorn Chicken ($12) which was perfect to go along with some beer and soju. Crispy fried chicken with a nice coating of tangy sweet Korean sauce and sprinkled with white sesame on it. How addictive it is! There goes a saying "once you pop, you can't stop" and this is the case. We wiped out every single bite-size popcorn chicken that's on the dish and we had a delicious good time!

To conclude, the food is excellent and according to my Korean friends, it felt like dining at a Korean restaurant back at their hometown and the hospitality of the lady boss is very warm and friendly, making sure our every request is taken care of. Just in adding additional water, giving us extra serviettes. Although the food can be a little pricey, the quality isn't compromised as the recipes were passed down by the mum of the lady boss. I can feel her insistence on that point and felt sad that not many Singaporeans patronize her restaurant probably due to little publicity and pricey menu.

If you're a fan of true blue authentic Korean cuisine, do lend your support for Star Korean Restaurant!

It is not easy to find Wood Fired Pizzas around these days as many of the pizza chains sells oven bake pizzas that doesn't have that high-temperature heat to achieve that smoky wood aroma. Since I was craving for pizza, my friend brought me to Peperoni Pizzeria a few days ago at the newly renovated Suntec City food fountain and I couldn't wait to bite into some delicious Italian wood fired pizzas!(Front of the Peperoni Pizza taken at 9.45pm when diners started to leave)
Arriving at the basement of Suntec City Tower 3, Peperoni Pizzeria too huge to be missed. The queue outside the restaurant was very long on a weekend evening and I bet the kitchen staffs were so busy churning out pizzas one after another as the restaurant, even though with a large seating capacity was totally full house.

It was later into the night at about 9pm, they have to close off the queue of the restaurant. Thankfully the crowd outside was well controlled as a staff allow guests to leave their name and number behind for table reservations.Entering the huge restaurant, I have already like the industrial feel of the interior design with stone-like walls, wooden tables and metal chairs. It makes this place felt like a little like those underground Italian pizza bar kinda feel yet retaining that homely atmosphere with the shelves decorated with plants, pasta sauces and vegetables. How creative in making the environment feels so warm and cosy! The staffs were quick to serve us water and pass us the menu for our table. The pizza menu is separate from their standard one with the well-designed menu to resemble a pizza on a wooden pan. The menu consist of classic Italian pizzas like Quattro Formaggi Mozzarella, Margherita and Napoletana which comes in various sizes:- medium, large and XXL as well as a choice of calzone! Besides this, their standard menu has a list of entrees, mains, pastas, dessert and drinks too.Since there were 4 of us, we ordered the XXL 21-inch Pizza - $50 which is good for 4 - 6 paxs to share. When ordering a pizza, we can have the choice of 2 different halves of pizzas. We had half Prosciutto Crudo Di Parma & half Salmone pizza. We waited for quite a while, about 20 minutes for it to be served and it was slightly burnt on 1 side of the pizza but we didn't mind at all. At least we can tell that it was prepared with authentic wood fired!

I enjoyed the Prosciutto Crudo Di Parma pizza because there are 2 of my favourite items, parma ham and rocket salad on it. I would say that this is the best of both worlds combination for me! Topped with feta cheese, it was simply awesome with the thin crisp crust and moist layer of mozzarella cheese. Delicious and yummy, I would say this would be my all-time favourite!

As for the Salmone pizza, it came with chunks of salmon, caramelized onions and capers. Oh boy, the capers added a nice burst of flavour to the salmon and caramelized onions. Nevertheless, it lacked some fresh greens and I still prefer the parma ham pizza.

This restaurant is owned by Les Amis and I was surprise that they DO NOT have GST or Service Charge! All prices on the menu are nett and I have to say kudos to the food, service and ambiance. The staffs were very professional, calm and patient despite having to deal with the crazy dinner crowd. This place is certainly worth a visit again even if there's a long queue!