I picked up some macarons ($2 each) from TWG's booth at Takashimaya Food Hall for tea. While credit has to be given to TWG for giving a spin to the ubiquitous macaron by infusing them with tea, the shells were too soft and sweet for my liking. With the exception of Bain de Rose (pink), which featured beguiling floral notes, the tea flavor in the other macarons was too muted. That being said, I adored the sticky caramel filling in the Napolean tea & Caramel macaron (black) and found Grand Wedding tea, Passionfruit & Coconut (purple) and 1837 Black tea & Blackcurrant (dark pink) pleasantly fruity.

aving heard that it would be closing its physical store at the end of this month, I headed to A Curious Teepee to check out the offerings at its café. The food menu was very limited: there was a choice between two savory items, waffles and four desserts. I had been looking forward to trying their lemon berry tart and ATCP sandwich, but it seems that they are only during brunch hours on Sunday...a pity.

Papa Palheta coffee is available here for those who need a caffeine perk-up.The quiche ($9.50) took a long time to be served, despite us being the only customers around. I had no complaints about its taste though. Flaky, buttery crust- check. Creamy filling packed with bacon and leeks- check. We polished off this pastry in less than the amount of time that it took to arrive at the table.The Vegetable Tart ($8.50) was pleasingly cheesy, but I liked the meaty quiche more. Grilled peppers versus bacon, you take your pick.I couldn't go without dessert- not only because of my sweet tooth, but also because my tummy was only half-filled from the savories. The Flourless Orange Almond Cake ($8.50) was dense and moist with a refreshing citrus flavor, nice but not particularly memorable.The friend's crunchy waffles with maple syrup ($10.80) went down well with us as well. I am partial to dense and cakey waffles; those who prefer fluffy interiors will probably like A Curious Teepee's rendition of this dish more than I did.

Will I miss the food at A Curious Teepee? Judging from this experience, not really. Though all the items I tried were decent, they were not impactful enough to warrant a return visit.

My Korean friend brought a group of friends to Chang Korean BBQ Restaurant at Dempsey to introduce us to authentic Korean cuisine. I'm not sure about the tables outside, but the good ventilation inside the private rooms will ensure that you will not walk out of the eatery reeking of grease.You can put aside your fears about overcooking barbequed items at Chang, for the trained staff will do the cooking for you here. The well-marbled Galbi prime ribs (왕양념갈비 Wang Yangnyeom) ($34++) were terrific: sweet, tender and mouthwateringly flavorful. I would gladly go for seconds!I'm not a fan of grilled pork belly, but my friend declared the 삼겹살 Samgyeobsal ($20++) his favorite dish of the meal though.Chang's 돌판알비빔밥 Dolpan-Al-Bibimbap ($20++) adds a modern touch to this ubiquitous Korean dish by featuring flying fish roe in addition to the usual suspects of soybean sprouts, julienned carrots and mushrooms. The pop-in-the-mouth tobiko added a welcome textural contrast to the mix of fresh-tasting sautéed and seasoned vegetables, fragrant rice and crunchy burnt bits from the bottom of the bowl.The bean curd soup (비지찌개 Biji-Chigae) ($16++) and bean paste soup (된장찌개| Denjang-Chigae) ($16++) were passable, while the ginseng chicken soup (삼계탕 Samgyetang) ($25++) could have definitely done with more punch.We also ordered two bowls of buckwheat cold noodles- one in beef broth (물냉면 Mul Naengmyeon) ($16++), as pictured above, and the other in spicy sauce (비빔냉면 Bibim Naengmyeon) ($16++). While the former was tangy and refreshing, I liked the Bibim Naengmyeon better for the addictive sweet and slightly tart chogochujang that doused the noodles. (My Korean friend commented that the chogochujang was slightly too sweet though.) I also preferred the chewier bite of the vermicelli in the spicy cold noodles to that of the Mul Naengmyeon.

A complimentary cup of 식혜 sikhye, a traditional Korean rice drink prepared from malt water and cooked rice, was served at the end of the meal to aid digestion. It's an acquired taste, I say.

I don't understand the fuss over Arnold's Fried Chicken. The chicken was satisfying crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside, but was lacking in the flavor department. KFC does better fried chicken in my opinion (P.S. they use fresh chicken now), though I'll rather visit Popeye's for my fix. The coleslaw, fries and whipped potato were run-of-the-mill ordinary, and the gravy that came with the latter wasn't as tasty as Colonel Harland Sanders'.

Having heard many positive reviews about Don Quijote (say 'Don kwee-ho-tay'), I headed there for my primero experience with Spanish food.Warm, chewy bread rolls served alongside a tasty garlic butter dip did a decent job of quelling our appetites while waiting for our mains. While the menu warns that paellas and fidueàs take about 25 to 35 minutes to be prepared, our food arrived in about 15 to 20 minutes on a low-traffic day.I wasn't as wowed by the Paella Valenciana ($30++ for a small portion that will feed one to two persons) as I had hoped. It wasn't poorly executed- the creamy short-grain rice was thoroughly infused with the saffron stock, and the mussels and clams were pleasantly fresh and succulent. But as I dug into the bottom of the pan, I was disappointed by the absence of socarrat- the crispy burnt crust that is considered to be the hallmark of an excellent paella by many. I also found the rice too wet for my liking.We all preferred the Fideuà Negra ($30++ for a small portion, starring bite-sized strands of angel hair pasta cooked in a jet-black squid-ink sauce bursting with flavors of the sea. As with the paella, we indicated that we wanted the noodles to be cooked al dente and they turned out perfectly done.We rounded off the meal with Pudin de Pan y Manteqilla ($7++) and Pastel de Naranja y Queso ($7++). The bread and butter pudding fan in me wasn't particularly thrilled with the former; the orange cheesecake was satisfyingly rich and creamy but was, again, nothing out the ordinary. Perhaps, we should have opted for the friendly waitress' recommendation for the ubiquitous Bomba de Chocolate (molten chocolate cake).