While Madam Kwan's has kept its exact opening date under wraps, it failed to keep curious foodies from flooding the restaurant last Sunday. Despite the torrential crowds at peak hours, I was whisked into the restaurant in no time at 5pm- hooray!

With fluffy and well-separated grains, the light yet aromatic coconut rice was one of the best I've had- better than Grandma's and the now-defunct Wok & Barrel's! Its accompaniments were less spectacular, however. Not that there was anything wrong with the sambal ikan billis or crunchy, piquant achar- it's just that they weren't particularly memorable.

I'm being picky here, but the the curry chicken- though succulent- wasn't quite fall off the bone tender. And one probably expects a more generous portion of chicken with a $13.90+ plate of nasi lemak, no?

While I have not visited Madam Kwan's in KL, I felt that their nasi lemak was somewhat overrated. To think that I actually contemplated making a trip to the capital to satisfy my coconut rice cravings! Nevertheless, given the quality of the food and its relatively inexpensive pricing (considering the restaurant's prime location), I will return to Madam Kwan's if I happen to be at Vivocity- once the crowds die down, that is.

I settled for a steaming hot cup of teh tarik ($3.50+) as the chendol was sold out. Let me know if you try their signature dessert and nasi bojari- I certainly had a hard time deciding between nasi lemak and the latter!

Having never attempted a tea-based milkshake before, I ordered a regular Earl Grey Lychee milkshake ($4.50). As bizzare as this might sound, the combination was really delicious. Granted, it tasted mainly of canned lychees, but the earl grey syrup provided a refreshing edge to the drink. Texture-wise, the milkshake was a pleasure to slurp- smooth and not overly thick, with lychee bits for contrast.

I should have ordered a larger drink for an additional $1.50 though. The regular serving is really tiny!

Saizeriya's concept is a real winner: tasty western food at affordable prices that can rival those at food courts. As with most restaurants, orders are taken at the table but there's no service charge! The only self-service here would be to help yourself to the free flow of water or to the unlimited flow beverages for $1.50.I'm no expert at escargots but I was quite pleased with Saizeriya's rendition, which came with a very generous serving of garlic. Plus it only costs $5.80 for six!The Chicken Bolognese Doria was very competently executed as well. While there could have been more meat, this dish came slathered with a satisfying amount of creamy cheese. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining since this only cost $4.80 if i remember correctly!

I dislike beer in general. But it's a different story altogether when stout is combined with chocolate. The bitterness of the alcohol is counteracted by the sugar; vice-versa, the bitter tang of the stout helps to tame the sweetness of the chocolate.In fact, I love Plain Vanilla's chocolate stout cake base more than their regular chocolate version. The malty, roasty notes of Guinness give the chocolate sponge a fuller flavor, and the carbonation of the beer gives the cake a softer crumb. Paired with PVB's swoonworthy cream cheese frosting, this is one cupcake that will guarantee you sweet dreams at night.

If my memory serves me well, PVB's vanilla-Irish cream cake tastes even yummier than their signature vanilla sponge, and that means a lot because the former is seriously delicious! Dreamily fluffy vanilla cake meets Bailey's-infused chocolate fudge (wouldn't have minded having more of this), Irish cream frosting and an alcoholic truffle, mmm.

The chocolate stout and Irish cream cupcakes are available till April 1.

Price: $3.20 per cupcake, $18 for a box of six

Resort World Sentosa's Malaysian Food Street has been said to feature some of the best hawkers in Malaysia. The budget-conscious will be glad to hear that prices here are not as steep as at the Rasapura Masters food court at the other integrated resort, Marina Bay Sands.

Fung Wong Confectionery's egg tart ($1.20) made my visit to Malaysian Food Street worthwhile. Although it tended on the watery side, the custard was wonderfully wobbly. Nestled in a crisp and light flaky pastry, it came as no surprise that these egg tarts were snatched up in a jiffy.

The crispy char siew bao (aka char siew puff) ($1.50) is also worth a try. The char siew filling encased within was pleasantly moist and tender, with a stronger spice kick than local variants.